Ambulance strike: NHS leaders urge public to avoid risky activity

Ambulance services will on Wednesday prioritise those with life-threatening conditions, such as a cardiac arrest. Photograph: Adrian Sherratt/The Guardian

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.