Ambulance strike is disgraceful?

[somethingdifferenttoday]

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

Health care professionals are striking because it’s already a shit show and it’s dangerous for patients every single day. People are dying because ambulance crews are stuck outside a&es. Not just on strike days. Striking is a last resort because no one is listening!

Honestly it’s not that hard to understand. Everything is seriously collapsing in front of our eyes and the government are letting it happen. It’s not just about pay. Patients are at risk every shift because we haven’t enough people to care for them properly and the ones doing so are burnt out and likely to make mistakes because they are overwhelmed.

But a higher salary will attract and keep staff in the NHS. Which means more staff, better patient care and safety. staff are leaving because it is that hideous and all are burnt out. Who will care for patients when barely anyone’s left? Steve Barclay? Sunak?

And I still think they should strike even though my nan recently fell and couldn't get an ambulance for hours. It is NOT the fault of anyone who works for the NHS, it is the Tories who are to blame.

Your anger is justified but misdirected.
The government deserve your anger and disbelief.

Nobody wants to strike.

Kind reminder that ‘ambulance staff’ also includes emergency/clinical care assistants on Band 3 pay, the same as a health care assistant. It’s not far above minimum wage. For the same 12+ hour shift with no guaranteed finish time. It’s not like they can just leave a queuing patient. Imagine trying to get to the childminder/nursery in time when you’re queuing for 5+ hours outside hospitals.

If you feel that strongly, retrain as a paramedic.

And you're making shit up. £47k ! Laughable if you believe that, it's completely untrue!

Quite a few people have already answered that question. Are you even reading your own thread?

Are you reading ANY of the replies at all? People are dying NOW. Get a grip.

This!! I work for an NHS urgent care response team taking lower cat 999 calls. 48 hour wait for ambulance last week for lower cat calls. Man I saw 96 year old vvvv poorly most likely sepsis, vomiting everywhere, wetting himself, eyes rolling 7 hour wait.

Not sure where on earth you got the average salary from given most paramedics are band 5 & 6 with technicians being lower?!!

Last week in my NHS trust there were 23 ambulances out 22 of them were sat outside A&E waiting to off load.

Take your anger to the Government 🤬

I suppose it will mean better retention of existing staff and would make the job more attractive to newer applicants.

Strike or no strike, people have had to wait hours for ambulances for years.

YABU

So instead they should carry on as usual as the entire service crumbles around them? What other course of action do they have?

I am not paid ambulance staff.

In our ambulance Trust a) only 1 out of 3 unions is striking b) agreements have been made for derogations that actually mean that only 25% - 50% are not working, and even they can choose to respond to a range of calls including falls over 4 hours. So the Union and the Trust have worked together to make sure there is minimal impact but maximum publicity.

The strike is about conditions and the state of the service as much as about pay. We’re one of the better performing trusts but when things are tough our patients are still missing the treatment times for stroke, or lying on the floor for hours waiting for help. It’s heartbreaking.

And the call takers are on Band 3 - about £22k - for one of the toughest, most traumatising jobs in the service.

What do you suggest they do to get traction and attention?

YABU. Paramedics work in a caring profession; they are not martyrs. And the ambulance service, along with many other parts of the NHS, has been incrementally crumbling for years. What you’re now seeing is just the straw that broke the camel’s back.

I fully support the strikers.

YANBU

Leaving people to die from Cat 2 heart attacks and strokes is beyond the pale.
Doing so in the middle of the winter as the NHS buckles every winter, and just before Christmas is utterly utterly unforgiveable.

I can not believe that the unions are bartering with people's lives like this.

As a bare minimum women in labour, heart attack and stroke calls must be continued....but no. The unions will have blood on their hands today.

MN is a weird place for the strike stuff, in every walk of life and every single poerson I know is condemning this action op. It is only here weirdly where people say it is fine for people to die so they can secure a higher pay rise!

FFS - What has the world come to.

People will die as a direct result of this strike and I find that very sad

Yes they are, but the solution isn’t to kill more people to make a fucking point.
The government has hired over 10,000 nurses…they haven’t done enough, but they haven’t done nothing. I agree it’s the Tory Gov that has caused this whole situation. But still, there was a choice to strike and I think it is morally reprehensible to say who gives a fuck, let them all die because I’m going on strike for a 19% pay raise. 19% is greedy and grabby.

I do agree it's not the only fix, but even if it means just a tiny percentage will return it buys some time before other things can be addressed. To be honest the staff shortages are the worst and lots I know who have left have done so due to burn out but also because they're worried about losing their registration for working in such stretched conditions. Even a few more members of staff would be an improvement albeit not enough. I guess this is the only thing in their power.

The issue isn’t with the strikers. The issue is with the erosion of the nhs which has been allowed to carry on to long leading to the current crisis point.

i know nhs staff who are striking. They haven’t taken the decision lightly it’s from desperation

YABU (and cowardly for not enabling voting).

Strike action isn't anything any emergency or key workers take on lightly. They don't get paid when on strike and they are fully aware of the potential consequences of their action. But if you honestly think they is any other way this shitty government would take any notice of the absolutely shocking state of our health system I would like to hear it. Blame the politicians, not the strikers.

Also, people quoting how they are sitting all day outside with patients in ambulances now, I agree that's awful and is the conservatives fault. BUT they aren't striking over that at all, they are striking over wanting more pay.

To those saying it's bad when it's not a strike day, I agree. But today will be much worse. Warmings are being issued to avoid sports and unnecessary car journeys today. That is because there will be even fewer ambulances today.

To the person saying my post will probably be deleted due to its tone, that is ridiculous. It is my honest opinion and I've been on mumsnet years. I am entitled to my view, it wasn't meant to be rude in any way that would lead to deletion.

YABU. The state the NHS is in is an absolute disgrace and after 12 years of Tory governments this is down to them. We need urgent action asap to improve pay, to improve working conditions, to train more health care practitioners in the UK, to reform the NHS so it focuses on the important stuff and so people can get access to GP services, dentistry, urgent care etc etc. If that means paying more taxes, so be it. Pay peanuts, get monkeys. If we want a world class health care system we need to fund it properly and it needs to be extremely well run and to be an attractive place for world class HCPs to work and research. The staffing crisis is horrifying and the current government has no clue how to sort it out.

The average salary of ambulance staff of £47,000

Citation needed. Otherwise I'm calling bollocks. Most NHS paramedics are band 6 (32-39k), EMTs are on much less.

How to tell me “I don’t understand the different perspectives” without saying it

Tell me another course of action please