Ambulance staff walk out in south-east England

Ambulance unit with the Unite national successful the South East person taken to picket lines successful a continuing quality implicit pay.

The national said the onslaught was portion of an "escalation strategy to exert unit connected the government" arsenic it seeks to reopen negotiations.

The Department of Health & Social Care said it was "disappointing" and would enactment "more pressure" connected the NHS.

Its proposal for patients is to proceed to telephone 999 successful a life-threatening exigency and usage NHS 111 online services for non-urgent wellness needs.

The enactment - affecting South Central Ambulance Service NHS Trust and South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Trust - began astatine midday connected Tuesday and volition extremity astatine 22:00 BST, with unit joining picket lines successful areas including Northfleet, Portsmouth and Banstead.

The authorities had offered a 5% wage emergence for 2023-24 and a one-off outgo of astatine slightest £1,655 to apical up past year's salary.

The wage woody was signed disconnected past week astatine a meeting betwixt the authorities and 14 wellness unions representing each NHS unit isolated from doctors and dentists.

However, 3 unions, including Unite, vowed to proceed action.

Unite wide caput Sharon Graham said the connection did "nothing to resoluteness the recruitment and retention situation crippling the NHS".

She called connected the authorities to re-open negotiations to guarantee "a due wage connection is made" to NHS workers.

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: "It is disappointing... These strikes volition enactment much unit connected the NHS and volition beryllium disruptive for patients."

It said it hoped those who chose to stay successful quality would recognise it "carries the enactment of their colleagues and... bring concern enactment to an end".