New ambulance strikes loom in West Midlands as talks fail
Ambulance staff are again preparing to strike across Shropshire, after new figures revealed the ongoing shortage of GPs in the county.
Some paramedics and emergency control workers are expected to walk out tomorrow in the latest action over pay and conditions.
The action by the GMB union affects 999 calls made to West Midlands Ambulance Service.
And further strikes are planned for later this month.
It comes as figures reveal there are fewer GPs available to help patients in Shropshire than 12 months ago. The fall comes despite a Government pledge to recruit thousands of GPs by 2025.
The bitter dispute between NHS workers and the Government looks set to continue after talks were branded an “insult”.
WMAS Emergency Services Operations Delivery Director, Nathan Hudson, said: “We have had productive discussions with our staffside colleagues to agree that ambulances will respond to the most urgent calls such as cardiac arrests and where a crew requests immediate back up at the scene of a case. Also other life-threatening cases such as heart attacks, strokes, difficulty in breathing and maternity cases.”
