Military personnel have been spotted in ambulances in Greater Manchester as paramedics stage walkouts across the region. Ambulance workers, paramedics, technicians, call handlers and other NHS staff have gone on strike in England and Wales, with the disruption caused by the walkout expected to 'continue for the next few days'.
The action, which is to affect non-life threatening calls only, has seen thousands of union members strike in an ongoing row over pay and conditions. Members of three unions, GMB, Unison and Unite, which represent around 25,000 ambulance workers, are walking out on a coordinated strike on Wednesday (December 21).
The North West Ambulance Service has confirmed 89 members of military personnel were supporting the trust across the north west on Wednesday - and were driving ambulances supported by clinicians and 'responding' to need as the ambulance service strike continued. It's understood they weren't sent on critical emergency call-outs.
READ MORE LIVE: Paramedics go on strike across Greater Manchester in pay dispute - latest updates
And NWAS told the M.E.N on Wednesday evening that although strike action is to end at midnight, the 'effects of the disruption' are expected to 'continue for the next few days', with people urged to still only call 999 in a 'life-threatening situation'
It's understood as many as 20 picket lines were staged across Greater Manchester, with perhaps the biggest at Plymouth Grove near Manchester Central ambulance station and Manchester Royal Infirmary.
Speaking there, Sara Gorton, head of heath at the union Unison, confirmed several paramedics in Greater Manchester had to break off picket lines to attend serious emergency incidents, saying it showed how 'overstretched’ the ambulance service was.
About 600 members of the Army, Navy and RAF from across the country have been drafted in to help during the walkouts in England and Wales, some of whom have never driven the vehicles before.
An NWAS spokesperson said: "I can confirm that we have 89 military staff supporting us across the North West and they are driving ambulances supported by a clinical colleague and responding as required."
Supportive members of the public dropped off cake and snacks to striking workers on a picket line in Bolton while in Macclesfield, gifts included chocolates and prosecco. Meanwhile Stockport's Labour MP, Navendu Mishra, was pictured with striking staff on a picket line in the town.
One long-serving paramedic who went out on strike told of the horror of patient deaths after ambulance delays, describing the current pressure on services as 'relentless'.
Dave Robb, 64, a paramedic for 36 years in the north west and based in Warrington, said colleagues were quitting as they can 'not do it any longer'.
“We have got far too much demand on the ambulance service and due to insufficient funding we cannot provide adequate cover any more,” he said.
“We’ve got colleagues in control who have got job after job after job stacked up, with no vehicles to send. Then when we get on the scene and somebody’s life has been lost, we’ve got to try to explain that to the relatives and it’s really difficult because they become frustrated, they start taking it out on us. It’s relentless.”
Almost all of the ambulance trusts in England are at such a level of disruption that the environment might not be considered safe and patients might face harm. The majority have declared so-called critical incidents, with many trusts stating that they were facing huge pressure before strikes began on Wednesday.
The number of people phoning 999 appears to have dropped in some parts of England as thousands of ambulance staff and paramedics strike until midnight. People are advised to use the NHS 111 website for health advice where there is no immediate threat to life, or speak to or visit a pharmacist, GP or minor injuries unit.
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