Planned industrial action from staff working for East Midlands Ambulance Service (EMAS) is set to begin tomorrow (Wednesday 21 December).

The move comes after a ballot by the GMB trade union received enough votes to have a mandate to strike and take action short of a strike. This industrial action is part of a national pay dispute with the Government.

NHS pay levels are agreed at a national, not local, level and are therefore negotiated nationally for NHS employees.

At EMAS, industrial action is planned to take place on Wednesday, 21 December 2022 at 06.00 hours to 06.00 hours on Thursday, 22 December 2022; and Wednesday, 28 December 2022, at 06.00 hours to 06.00 hours on Thursday, 29 December 2022.

Many of the staff members at EMAS, which totals over 4000, are members of a trade union. This includes staff across all areas of the organisation, for example A&E frontline ambulance crews, 999 control rooms, Non-Emergency Patient Transport Services and Enabling Services. GMB trade union members taking this action may affect up to 50% of staff.

Ben Holdaway, Director of Operations at EMAS, said: "During the period of the dispute, we will do all we can to minimise the impact on patient safety and will continue to work very closely with trade union colleagues, regional service providers and NHS Employers.

"Our operational teams have developed contingency plans to aim to maximise the number of ambulance staff and volunteers we have available to respond to patients, as well as clinical staff able to carry out remote clinical assessments. 

"However, we anticipate that on days where there is industrial action that there will still be fewer ambulances available and therefore our responses to our patients will, inevitably, be much slower on the day. 

"Therefore our 999 control rooms, where possible, will carefully assess and prioritise an ambulance response for those who need it most, and this may only be where there is a threat to life. 

"Patients should continue to call for an ambulance as normal if they experience a life-threatening emergency and should continue to access other more appropriate services for any other illnesses or injuries such as NHS111 online or contacting their local Urgent Treatment Centre. 

"We fully respect the right of NHS staff to take lawful and peaceful industrial action, however we do urge national employer representatives and trade union colleagues to proactively engage and reach a negotiated settlement to the dispute as quickly as possible."

Conversations described as 'constructive' between trade unions and EMAS senior leaders have now concluded and mutually acceptable derogations (also known as exemptions) have been agreed. 

On the day of the strikes, many GMB members due to be at work at EMAS will need to personally make a decision whether to attend work as normal or whether to take part in the industrial action – either by exercising their right to strike or through deciding to work under exemptions agreed with their trade union. 

For EMAS' A&E ambulance service, these exemptions include either only responding to Category 1 calls (immediately life-threatening) or attending Category 1 calls and the most serious Category 2 calls such as chest pain, FAST-positive strokes, gynaecology emergencies where mother or baby are at risk, road traffic collisions where a patient is trapped, and unwell children aged five and under. 

Members of the public are being advised to only call 999 if there is a risk to life, or if someone is seriously ill or injured. This includes a cardiac arrest, an unconscious or catastrophic bleed, stroke, or a serious traumatic injury. Ambulances will be dispatched where clinically appropriate.

For all other health care needs, support will be available through NHS111, online or at a local GP surgery or pharmacy. 

It is not possible for EMAS to say how many of its workforce will be participating in industrial action as it is a personal decision made on the day of action by individual members of the trade union which has the mandate to strike.

However, their operational teams have been carefully planning with an aim to maximise the number of ambulance staff and volunteers they have available to respond to patients on the days of industrial action to seek to ensure that they continue to be able to respond to life-threatening or emergency situations.

The public are advised that it is likely to take EMAS crews longer than normal to get to patients on days of industrial action because there will be fewer ambulances available. 

Their 999 control rooms will carefully assess and prioritise an ambulance response for those who need it most, and this may only be where there is a threat to life. 

Callers may be asked to make their own way to hospital or a medical treatment centre if it is safe to do so.

Anyone waiting for an ambulance, is asked please not to call 999 again to ask for an updated estimated time of arrival for an ambulance. 

Members of the public should only dial 999 again if they wish to cancel the ambulance because they are making their own way to hospital, or if the patient's condition has significantly worsened. 

For more information about EMAS, click here.