Army to cover only one in 10 ambulance staff in strikes
Military trained as drivers ahead of industrial action while public are urged to reduce demand on service
FEWER than a tenth of the striking ambulance and 999 workers will be covered by soldiers and the military, it has emerged.
The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) is expected to deploy 600 soldiers and other military personnel to drive the ambulances, with a further 150 providing support and logistics during the strikes by more than 10,000 staff due on Dec 21 and 28.
Government sources said the 750 military were being brought in to “plug the gaps” in an attempt to ensure that the NHS can respond to category 1 and 2 emergency and urgent incidents where “life and limb” are at risk. They are due to have five days of training before the first strike on Dec 21.
NHS trust chiefs are due to hold talks this week with representatives from the GMB, Unison and Unite, who have said they will help provide “life and limb” cover to ensure the ambulance responds to emergency call-outs.
A Government source said: “The military won’t fully plug the gap.there will be more than 600 drivers on strike but it will, we hope, help the ambulance service cover category 1 and 2 cases.
“From the DHSC’S view, we are keen to see the unions commit to covering category 1 and 2 but those discussions are ongoing.
“It’s a discussion ahead of strike action where all agree which services are going to be maintained and how many people need to do that.”
The Royal College of Nursing (RCN), which is to strike for the first time in its history on Thursday, and next Tuesday, Dec 20, has also pledged to exempt chemotherapy, dialysis, critical care units such as intensive care and high dependency, neonatal and paediatric intensive care.
Other services not exempted may be reduced to a Christmas Day or night duty staffing level. While both strikes are designed to safeguard 999 services, thousands of scheduled elective operations are set to be delayed.
The public are being urged to continue to call 999 for emergency care during the strike and 111 for non-emergency incidents.
Over the weekend Stephen Barclay, the Health Secretary, warned there would be “significant” risks to patients. The public could be asked to “think carefully” about the service they need and where best to get it in an attempt to reduce demand.
Today Oliver Dowden, the Cabinet Office minister, will chair the first of two Cobra meetings this week with ministers from the DHSC, Home Office and Ministry of Defence to review contingency plans which have also seen 600 soldiers and 1,400 Government staff deployed to cover for striking Border Force officials.
The Government is working with Network Rail and rail freight operating firms to ensure as much freight as possible keeps moving during the strikes.
“We regret the stance unions have taken as it will only serve to disrupt the lives of millions of people up and down the country at what is an important time for them and their families. We urge union bosses to call off these damaging strikes and to keep talking,” said Mr Dowden.
Yesterday James Cleverly, the Foreign Secretary, rejected an offer by the RCN to pause their strike if ministers agreed to talks on pay.
He said Mr Barclay’s “door was open” to meetings with the union’s leaders but negotiations over pay were the responsibility of NHS employers and the independent pay review body.
He told Times Radio “it would be completely wrong” for a minister to get involved with nurses’ pay negotiations and “would completely undermine the leadership of the NHS.”
Pat Cullen, the RCN general secretary, told BBC’S Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg programme: “What I am saying is the Health Secretary can choose negotiation over picket lines. My door is open, I am offering conciliation (through the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service) and we can start that from tomorrow morning. I won’t dig in if he doesn’t dig in.”