Ambulance service colleagues will be taking industrial action on Wednesday 21 December, with a further day of action planned for Wednesday 28 December 2022.
Regardless of any strike action taking place, it is really important that patients who need urgent medical care continue to come forward, especially in emergency and life-threatening cases – when someone is seriously ill or injured, or their life is at risk.
Anyone with a hospital or GP appointment on strike days should attend as normal.
There will be fewer ambulances on the roads during industrial action, with the NHS prioritising those with life-threatening needs. As a result patients whose conditions are not life-threatening are unlikely to get an ambulance on strike days. 999 call handlers will also be very busy and NHS 111 call centres will have fewer staff, with longer call response times expected across the system.
As a result, anyone with non-urgent care needs should first seek help from NHS 111 online.