What happens when paramedics strike?

[Pleasepleasepleaseno]

I've tried to find out but the news articles I've read so far don't really explain what the plan B is. Will it be like when there's a train strike and there just are no trains? Surely that can't be the case? If someone has a carcrash or a stroke or whatever they'll still send help, right?

I think it is completely untrue that the majority don't realise @Cornettoninja . I think the public have been suffering the mismanagement of the NHS for several years. The government are also well aware, they just don't care.

Many years ago our paramedics went on strike and emergencies were covered by St Johns Ambulance people using their own ambulances. At the time (I was young and didn’t fully understand) I disapproved of the strike so I volunteered as a driver. We used to do overnight shifts based in the local police station, and always went out accompanied by a police car (partly for security but mostly to show us the way to the incident - no sat nav then). I remember once my parents rang (landline, no mobiles) one evening and DH said I wasn’t in as I was spending the night in the police station! Cue 50 fits from DF till DH explained!!

The government are also well aware, they just don't care.
Agreed. Remember this is a government that puts narcissistic twats like Matt Hancock in charge of the NHS.

What a great story.

Agreed.

My dh is a paramedic and we both think there should be a total strike. Nationwide. How long do you think it would take before the government would want to listen because the country is falling apart? 30 seconds, 1 minute? 5 minutes? They are treated appallingly and change needs to come.

I fully support this strike and think the bloody press should say exactly what it is about and it is not primarily about money. The conditions are appalling and the public is also bloody appalling and abuses this system.

Big yellow taxis as they are ‘affectionately’ known as, the amount of people who would remarkably be much better once offloaded from the crew was quite staggering. I’m an ex A and E nurse and when I left 8 years ago it was blood awful and it is even worse now.

I just wish it was a full-on proper strike so that you folks in green get what you want.

I just wish it was a full-on proper strike so that you folks in green get what you want.

Short sharp shock might be what is needed. The trouble with partial strikes is they don't have as much impact.

I was listening to someone on the tv yesterday complaining about rail strikes and how they shouldn't be over Xmas because it will cause so much disruption over the festive period. That's kind of the point! The greater the impact the more likely the government might do something.

The country would fall apart in about 30 seconds.

Mught take those knuckleheads a bit longer to notice.

Thank you for all your hard work. I support you.

I stand by it tbh. Not to be confrontational but genuinely the majority of the public can go years without needing A&E or an ambulance for time critical emergencies. I think some people still believe that there will be an ambulance there quickly in a true emergency if they needed it. That’s not the case ime.

It’s harrowing but I recommend listening to the first ten minutes of Shelagh Fogerty’s show this afternoon on LBC. She highlights an audio of a series of 999 calls from earlier this year and raises the point the health secretary telling us now ‘elderly people lying on the floor for hours’ has been happening for years and it’s disgusting to use that as a political football now.