Striking ambulance crew leave picket line to attend emergency call
An ambulance crew withdrew from a picket line to come to the aid of a man who was having a diabetic fit during the first NHS strike over pay in 32 years.
The workers were stationed outside Russells Hall Hospital in Dudley when the 'red' call came through as part of a backlog of 40 calls faced by West Midlands Ambulance Service yesterday morning.
Bosses say the service was unable to respond to 999 calls immediately due to the walkout, but a crew of two staff leaped into action when they heard that an emergency call could not be attended.
The man, who is in his 30s, had suffered a fit at his workplace in Dudley. He was stabilised at the scene and taken to Russells Hall for treatment.
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WMAS spokesman Murray MacGregor said: "The staff have their reasons for going on strike but this shows they really want to do their jobs.
"Even at a time when they were on a picket line their priority was to make sure they are providing a safe service."
Bosses at WMAS said they received 587 emergency calls during the four-hour strike - 19 per cent more than the same period last Monday.
It comes after an appeal via social media for people to only dial 999 in life-threatening cases.
Mr MacGregor added: "None of the calls we received were life-threatening, despite our requests for people to only use the service in terms of emergency. It is a bit concerning that the number of 999 calls actually increased during the strike."
All of the outstanding calls had been dealt with by the end of the industrial action.
Members of six unions including Unison, Unite and GMB were on strike from 7am to 11am in a national dispute over pay.
The industrial action caused disruption to patient transport services and anti-natal and post-natal clinics, while some NHS trusts drafted in volunteers and a number of operations were rescheduled for other days. Hospital bosses say the majority of pre-booked appointments went ahead as planned.
Emergency care - including maternity wards - was unaffected by the strike following an agreement by unions and NHS bosses ahead of the walkout. Doctors and dentists were not involved.
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Unions are demanding a one per cent pay rise for all staff. This was recommended in an independent pay review, but the Government has said only a minority of staff in England would get a rise.
Picket lines were set up at hospitals across the region, including New Cross, Penn and West Park in Wolverhampton, Russells Hall in Dudley, Sandwell General, Walsall Manor and Stafford.
Around 50 workers, many of them armed with placards bearing the motto 'fair pay', braved the wind and rain at the main entrance of New Cross Hospital on Wednesfield Road.
See also: Hunt sparks anger over NHS strike.
Lianne Brooks, regional organiser for Unison West Midlands, said the strike was a clear indication that staff were not happy with what she describes as 'derisory and insulting' treatment.
"The government's refusal to sanction the findings of the independent pay review means that 60 per cent of NHS staff and 70 per cent of nurses won't get a pay rise at all for the next two years.
See also: Union attacks strike cover plans.
"Nurses spend the same time training as accountants, teachers and solicitors yet the discrepancy is pay is massive. To not even offer a one per cent rise is an absolute insult."
Staff voted in favour of the strike last month after the Government refused to give an across the board pay rise. Some NHS workers have seen their wages increase, but not those who get automatic progression-in-the-job rises.
Around 100 staff formed a picket line outside Russells Hall Hospital.
Passing cars and lorries beeped their horns in support of the strikers, while ambulances sounded their sirens as they passed the line.
Members of the Royal College of Midwives, who are striking for the first time in their 133 year history, were on the picket line.
Maria Lodge, from Stourbridge, has been a midwife for 28 years. She said: "We just need recognition for the work that we are doing. There is so much good will in the health service.
"We never really get paid overtime but it's not like we can just walk away if someone is having a baby.
"I haven't had a real pay rise in about 10 years, but I love the job and I don't know what else I would do."
Deputy leader of Dudley Council, Pete Lowe was also out in support of the strikers. He said: "I fully support the NHS workers and their fight for a pay rise."
A statement on the Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trust website said that women in labour had seen no change to their care, although some dental and three day-case list appointments were cancelled and rearranged.
Around 20 workers manned the picket line at Sandwell General Hospital, with lines also in place at Rowley Regis Hospital and City Hospital.
A spokesman for Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust said a number of volunteers were on hand across the trust, but only two of these were needed. Five out of 16 planned operations were rescheduled, while one theatre list was postponed until the afternoon.
Around one third of ambulance crew members took part in the walk out.
Meanwhile 100 workers armed with placards,flags and leaflets gathered outside Walsall Manor Hospital.
Bosses at Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust said plans were put in place to ensure that critical services remained operational although a small number of operations had been rescheduled ahead of the walk out.
More than 15 members of staff took to the picket line outside Stafford Hospital. Bosses at the Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust said the majority of services continued to run as normal.
