Unison members to take industrial action on 11 and 23 January in dispute over pay and staffing
Ambulance workers across England will stage two further strikes on 11 and 23 January in the dispute over pay and staffing, Unison has announced.
Members of the union in five ambulance services in England will take industrial action.
Continue reading...Bodies representing NHS care in England also call for Rishi Sunak intervention but PM refuses to budge on pay
NHS leaders have urged the public to avoid risky activity on Wednesday for fear they may be left helpless and unable to reach A&E during the ambulance strike.
The industrial action by staff across England and Wales comes as the ongoing pay dispute between ministers and NHS workers looks poised to descend into an increasingly bitter and disruptive war of attrition that could go on for months.
Continue reading...Patients with serious conditions and injuries will have to get themselves to A&E, NHS chiefs say
Thousands of patients who have had strokes, heart attacks or broken bones will have to get themselves to A&E on Wednesday when ambulance staff strike over pay, NHS bosses have warned.
The disruption is expected to last for up to three days, with crews not reaching some patients who called 999 on Wednesday until Thursday or Friday.
Continue reading...Mere commitment to discuss pay, so far refused by health secretary, would now be insufficient
Ambulance staff would require a definite commitment from ministers on pay rather than just a promise of talks to call off their planned strike on Wednesday, according to a union leader who said trust had largely broken down with the government.
Christina McAnea, the general secretary of Unison, one of three unions involved in the strike by ambulance crews in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, said even a commitment to discuss pay, thus far refused by the health secretary, Steve Barclay, would now be insufficient.
Continue reading...Royal College of Nursing leader criticises ‘belligerence’ in meeting with Steve Barclay at which ministers refused to discuss pay
Nurses’ strikes will go ahead this week after a meeting between the union and the health secretary ended in deadlock, with the Royal College of Nursing condemning ministers’ “belligerence” for refusing to discuss pay.
Six hundred military personnel from all three armed forces will start training to drive ambulances to cover for striking NHS workers across the UK later this month. A further 150 are being readied to act as logistical support, defence sources said, with training for both groups to start “shortly”.
Continue reading...Workload from treating high number of extremely unwell children means patients may face 12-hour wait
Melbourne parents with sick children may face waits of more than 12 hours at the Royal Children’s hospital emergency department as it buckles under demand.
The hospital, in a statement on Monday evening, warned families should seek alternative care where possible given it was dealing with more than 90 patients in its emergency department.
Continue reading...Prime minister urged to prevent future tragedies by relatives of 31 refugees who died one year ago
Sixteen bereaved relatives of 31 refugees who drowned in the Channel have written to Rishi Sunak on the first anniversary of their loved ones’ deaths, urging him to make changes to prevent future tragedies.
On 24 November 2021, 31 people slowly froze to death in the Channel. They had repeatedly made SOS calls to French and UK emergency services but no help was sent to them. Of those on board the overcrowded dinghy 27 bodies were recovered. Four are still missing.
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Andrews rules out deal with the Greens and independents in event of minority government
Dan Andrews was also asked what would happen if Labor finds itself in a minority government situation – will it do a deal with the Greens?
No deal will be offered and no deal will be done.
And independents – no deals with independents?
No deal will be offered and no deal will be done.
So if you’re in a minority situation and you hold more seats than the Liberal party, what happens? You go back to another election?
Well, I think what the best thing to do, and what happens, Michael, is we work hard for the next 13 days, we work hard to put a positive and optimistic plan out there, and we’ll see what the verdict of Victorian voters is. I’m arguing, I’m urging people to vote for a strong, stable majority Labor government, to vote for your local Labor candidate.
The new SEC – government-owned, not private for-profit, but government-owned electricity, so owned by every single Victorian – creates nearly 60,000 jobs – 6,000 of those will be apprentices. It will be 100% renewable electricity. These companies can’t be relied upon to replace themselves. They’ll just put another profit machine in place. We need to make sure that we’re looking after pensioners, we’re looking after families and, indeed, businesses. And without electricity, there is no economy, so we have to replace them. And we choose to replace them with a public option – a government-owned option. An option that’s owned by every single Victorian.
Continue reading...Severe storms continue to drench exhausted communities as a humid air mass prompts flash flooding alerts in eastern Australia
Wild storms have caused the biggest blackout in South Australia since the entire state went dark in 2016, as flash flooding caused havoc in parts of New South Wales and Victoria.
More than 423,000 lightning strikes were recorded in SA on Sunday. Heavy winds downed trees and SA Power Networks received more than 500 reports of fallen wires.
Continue reading...Greater Manchester mayor says report into 2017 atrocity raises serious questions for whole of UK
The “poor leadership” of emergency services meant Manchester was not ready for the terrorist attack that killed 22 people in 2017, the region’s mayor, Andy Burnham, has said.
A damning inquiry report on the Manchester arena bombing identified significant failings by police, fire and ambulance services. At least one of those killed would probably have survived were it not for a response that was described as badly prepared, delayed and chaotic, it was found.
Continue reading...Chair of inquiry into the bombing said significant aspects of the emergency services’ response ‘went wrong’
Figen Murray, who lost her 29-year-old son Martyn Hett in the Manchester Arena bombing, said she wanted now to look forward and make sure the same mistakes never happened again.
Speaking outside Manchester magistrates court shortly after publication of Thursday’s inquiry report, Murray said: “Today we have learned about the failings of the emergency services. There’s no denying these failings led to a loss of life but I’m not here to play the blame game.
Continue reading...Unconscious children rushed to hospital but are now stable, weeks before new CO detector law goes into effect in Allentown
A malfunctioning heater sent a dangerously high level of carbon monoxide into a Pennsylvania daycare center early Tuesday, sickening dozens of children – some of whom were unconscious as they were rushed to the hospital – and several adults.
More than 30 people were hospitalized. All were listed in stable condition.
Continue reading...In areas where some felt let down by emergency responses, community groups share skills such as how to clear landslips, operate chainsaws and preserve food
Northern Rivers residents are learning to use chainsaws, sandbag their homes and clear landslips safely as communities band together to ensure they are prepared for future natural disasters after this year’s devastating floods.
Their efforts have a new sense of urgency after the Bureau of Meteorology declared a La Niña event is under way – a weather pattern that typically elevates flood risks.
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Continue reading...Experiment in London speeds up handover by emergency ambulance crews to doctors and is safer for patients
Paramedics have begun looking after patients inside an A&E unit, in an initiative by the health service to stop ambulances queueing outside hospitals and ease the strain on overstretched casualty staff.
The scheme has led to patients being handed over much more quickly at a hospital that was one of the worst in England for sick people being stuck, sometimes for many hours, in the back of an ambulance.
Continue reading...Exclusive: 16% plan to look for new jobs according to survey of 348 Ambulance Victoria staff
Bill Briggs had worked as a paramedic for more than three decades when, during Victoria’s second extended Covid lockdown, he “lost the plot”.
“I was just plodding along, doing the job, not getting any complaints from anyone and then I had a disagreement with another paramedic and I just exploded, which is not like me at all,” Briggs says.
Continue reading...Documents obtained by BBC show 160 staff encountered problems with East of England ambulance service vehicles
Staff at an ambulance service have claimed they are unable to drive a new fleet of vehicles because of their height and body shape.
The East of England ambulance service (EEAST) rolled out the £54m converted Fiats to replace its deteriorating Mercedes vans, as part of an effort to standardise NHS ambulances.
Continue reading...Locals who were trying to help rescue residents and feed evacuees clashed with NSW agencies, community witnesses say
Lismore residents have told of fights breaking out between members of the public trying to help and officials attempting to implement a failed “top-down” approach during the height of the flood emergency.
Several community witnesses at a parliamentary inquiry into catastrophic flooding in the town told MPs on Tuesday they were completely disillusioned with Resilience NSW, the new agency established in 2020 to lead disaster and emergency efforts from prevention to recovery.
Continue reading...Pete Lewin’s Newfoundlands also provide emotional therapy for veterans and young people with disabilities
“All you can hear is the water and the dogs paddling. That’s it, there’s nothing else,” said student paramedic Abigail Walker after emerging from Stanton lakes in Leicestershire, where she had been swimming with three Newfoundland dogs. “Until you’ve done it, I don’t think you realise how calming it is.”
It was her first time trying a type of emotional therapy pioneered by Pete Lewin, a paramedic who travels the country helping emergency services staff deal with trauma with the help of his pack of canines.
Continue reading...South East Coast service stops providing onsite paramedic at airport to focus on 999 response
An NHS ambulance service is cutting back its presence at Gatwick airport and major sports events so it has more crews available to answer 999 calls, amid unprecedented pressures.
The South East Coast ambulance service (Secamb) has ended a longstanding arrangement under which Gatwick paid it to have an ambulance car and paramedic on site.
Continue reading...Pilot scheme will see trained volunteers responding to ‘category three’ calls where extra help needed due to mobility problems
Volunteers could be responding to urgent 999 calls in London within weeks, as the capital’s ambulance service tries to tackle mounting delays.
A pilot scheme, revealed in London ambulance service (LAS) board papers at the end of March, will focus on people who fall into “category three”, where they require a response within two hours, and need extra help because of mobility problems.
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