Ambulance strike is disgraceful?

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I just read this on bbc news, "Unions say life-threatening callouts will continue to be responded to over the next 24 hours but some urgent calls, for example for late-stage labour or a fall in the home, might not be answered."

Is it just me who thinks this is disgraceful?

Late stage labour at home or an elderly person laying with a broken hip ARE emergencies! I'm not sure how people in a caring profession can strike knowing these calls will go unanswered.

The unions talk about the backlog, paramedics stuck outside hospitals in ambulances unable to unload and go back out on the road but then admit they are striking for more pay rather than as a protest about that. The average salary of ambulance staff of £47,000 and a 4% pay rise isn't enough they claim but if they are given a pay rise, they will stop striking.

I think they do deserve more money (we all do with inflation) but I can't get past them supposedly being in a caring profession but taking steps that WILL cause extra deaths regardless.

I work in the private sector and have had zero pay rise. If I went on strike nobody would die and I'd be fired. This approach is abusing the critical position of their roles. I hope they are not given a pay rise as it will just demonstrate that blackmail works to other public sector workers and we will have even more strikes.

YABU = I support them striking
YANBU = I agree, it's disgraceful behaviour from a caring profession

Nobody forced the people into the profession.

Before I went for my career, I researched minimum salaries so I know whether it be worth it or not.

Everybody deserves more money, but striking and letting people die surely isn't the answer.

The unions are asking for 19% the government have offered 4.5% that is the whole point of negotiation. If that arsehole Steve Barclay won't even negotiate then there is no alternative but to strike

The curve was heading that way anyway but I accept that the pandemic made it worse.

Earlier this year DDs friend lost her mum to a heart attack. They waited 2 hrs for the ambulance. The mum was 40! She left behind a husband and 3 school age daughters.

People shouldn't be waiting for ambulances, someone should have driven her or got a taxi

That increase included the contracts for dodgy PPE and 10bn for Test and Trace.

Nurses are visiting food banks while Michelle Mone buys a private yacht.

My best friend is a paramedic and until you’ve seen people in that profession at breaking point you cannot even begin to understand why they’re striking. It’s because they care not because they don’t.

and I 10000% support the strikes and I’ve relied lots on ambulances in the past and still think they are right for what they’re standing for.

How incredibly insensitive! That's akin to Rees-Mogg criticising people not escaping the Grenfell Tower.

This was before the media coverage of delays. If you have been told an ambulance is on the way, why would you ignore that and get a taxi?!

So you're admitting you chose your profession based on the pay, then castigating the actions of those who presumably went into their line of work because they wanted to help people.

Um, OK then.

OP, the waiting on the floor for an ambulance with a broken hip for 4-5 hours for an elderly person has happened before the strikes, even before covid.
Same for falls inside the house.
They have failed to attend breathing failures, heart attacks... on any reasonable time scale.
They can be found parked at the hospital lot.
This has been going on for years and years. Without any NHS big boss doing much to change it. It is disgraceful.
I do not think the strikes will sort any of it though.
I think we need a new government, a dedicated one. Go into the NHS chain of command and start sorting it.
Nurses striking, ambulances striking put the livelihood of strikers and patients on the line. Not the livelihood of the politicians or big burocrats on the line. We need to turn the table around. Is the responsible person who should be on the spot, the government and managers of the NHS. We need new elections!

I also have good knowledge of it and I disagree.
The current position of the NHS being a glaring example.

I agree that this kind of system would work - just transitioning to it would be difficult for anyone with a pre-existing condition. I have checked and there is no insurance at all in the UK that would cover my ongoing condition - it's too expensive and too complex and lifelong. Whereas overseas policies aim to cover much more widely. A relative in the US has the same condition and everything is covered as that is how US health insurance works.
I presume the insurers in the UK know the NHS will take up the slack and have the complex knowledge. If we move to a more insurance based system we would need the insurance policies to cover long term conditions for life.

It’s actually better today, Sunday, Monday and Tuesday had 20+ hour waits for cat 3 calls (falls, abdo pains etc) and 5 hour waits for heart attacks and strokes.

Today there are only 30 minute waits and no delays for the cat 2 calls.

People did die on the no strike days but no one will die for lack of an ambulance today in our trust.

"Before I went for my career, I researched minimum salaries so I know whether it be worth it or not."

47,000 nursing vacancies - over 100,000 NHS staff vacancies overall- so I guess people are researching.

But we can keep paying 3bn on agency staff if you like.

Either you believe in enforced labour or you don't.

You are saying you were free to make a choice, but once someone starts training to be a nurse or paramedic then they should lose their legal right to withdraw their labour if pay and conditions are too bad?

It's funny how no one thinks that male dominated professions should be forced to work for low pay whether they want to or not.

One of the papers has a headline about people taking their loved ones to A&E themselves- erm yeah as they should normally if they are able to and its safe. Honestly sometimes taking something away shows people are capable when they have less choice.

Cool. I guess they'll all just have to leave instead, then, and this temporary stoppage of HCP labour will become a very permanent one.

But that'll be fine, because at least the non-existent employees won't go on strike!

A lot of people don't have anyone on hand to take them.

EVERYONE deserves a fair wage and fair working conditions. On the whole, I believe the majority of healthcare workers do an amazing job. But they should not be allowed to strike in such an essential role. So easy for people on here to support strikers, but how would you really feel, for example, if you or a family member were to be involved in an RTA, and no help was available.
Between myself and my partner, we are paying an awful lot of money every month into the health care system. The very least I expect from this is emergency care should we be so unfortunate to need it.

YANBU OP- I don’t believe the opinions on here are a true reflection of people’s views.

It's been reported that ambulance workers are already leaving picket lines to respond to emergency calls.

They are putting the public first, unlike the government

So the better alternative is for thousands of people to keep leaving healthcare then? Same as no one forced people into the profession they are not forced to stay. What happens then? As a country we have benefited from cheap labour across the board and now the chickens have come home to roost, people aren't willing to work themselves to the bone and to the detriment of their health for a job that doesn't cover their bills anymore. Healthcare is an area where that poses a huge huge huge problem.

They won’t leave because then they’d have to cope with living on benefits. And DWP will sanction them if they don’t take up any job, and probably a worse paid job with just as bad working conditions.

Tons of people on lower wages are disgusted at these strikes.

Yanbu and every single one for them should be ashamed for the suffering this will cause may ill vulnerable people.

They should get to work and do their jobs. Ditto nurses, train staff and royal mail staff.

Yabu

People are dying everyday because of the shortages and conditions currently. Not just strike days, but every day of the week. The alternative for many of my colleagues to striking is leaving the profession which is going to cause more issues long term. There is no guarantee even if you're in an horrific accident thatd you'd get an ambulance within a reasonable time frame. I reckon as people bother to take relatives to hospital themselves today you're probably more likely to get one quicker than usual if needed.

@Onnabugeisha what rot! You are talking utter rubbish. They WILL leave and ARE leaving! What planet are you on?