Yorkshire Ambulance Service warns of disruption during strike action

Ambulance staff on the picket line in York on Friday

Yorkshire Ambulance Service (YAS) has warned services would be "severely disrupted" as staff take further industrial action.

Staff who are members of Unison walked out at 10:00 GMT on Friday in their continuing row over pay and conditions.

Nick Smith, director of operations at YAS, urged people to only call 999 for serious or life-threatening incidents.

About 3,000 of the service's 7,000 staff are members of Unison. They will take action until 22:00 GMT.

The latest strike comes after YAS workers who are members of the GMB union walked out on Monday.

Paramedic and Unison representative Ed Wood on the York picket line

Ed Wood, a paramedic and Unison representative, at a picket line in York said: "This is our fourth strike in York. Morale is still strong on the picket. The support has been brilliant.

"People are not stupid. People have their own stories of trying to get GPs and trying to get ambulances.

"You don't join the NHS to go on strike, we love doing our job and all our members want to get back onto an ambulance as soon as possible.

"We have been backed into a corner. We have to do something to save the NHS."

Mr Smith said YAS had a number of contingency plans in place, but said: "Services will be severely disrupted, with the likelihood of delays in emergency responses and telephone calls to 999 and NHS 111 being answered.

"We will be here for those who really need us, but you should only call 999 when someone is in a life-threatening or very serious condition as we prioritise our responses."

Yorkshire Ambulance Service said people with life-threatening conditions would still get an ambulance

Unison has said the government must stop "pretending the strikes will simply go away" and engage in talks, pointing to settlements reached between health unions and the governments in Scotland and Wales.

"Dialogue can achieve great things," Unison head of health Sara Gorton said.

"Rishi Sunak says his door is open but without an invite to that mythical negotiating table, NHS staff have no choice but to go on striking."

She said staff were desperate to get back to work, but were "equally determined to secure the pay rise that'll help put the NHS in a much better place".

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said the health secretary had made it clear he wanted to continue "discussing with unions what is fair and affordable".

"He continues to urge unions to call off strikes and engage in a constructive dialogue about the Pay Review Body Process for the coming year," they added.

The picket line at Sutton Fields, Hull

Friday's action will impact all YAS services, including its front-line emergency ambulances and 999 call handling, non-emergency Patient Transport Service and NHS 111.

Mr Smith said during previous strike days the public had "generally responded" as they had asked them to do regarding when to call for an ambulance.

"This means that more limited front-line resources can be used for those most in need," he added.

YAS provides services across Yorkshire and North and North East Lincolnshire.