Derbyshire updates on Critical Incident and industrial action
The health and care system’s strategic command yesterday agreed that Critical Incident status will continue to be declared until at least Thursday 12th January, to ensure service pressure and coordination of care response can be monitored during and beyond Wednesday’s planned industrial action by ambulance service workers who are members of the GMB Union. More information on which is provided below.
The critical incident was initially declared at 14.32 hours on 31st December 2022 to help prioritise and maintain safe services for patients. Services remain under significant pressure and our staff are working tirelessly to ensure care remains available to anyone who needs it. There is a range of ways members of the public are being asked to support services; more information is available on the Joined Up Care Derbyshire website.
Important update on planned EMAS industrial action
In recent weeks, trade unions representing NHS staff across the country have been balloting their members and advised the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care that they are in dispute over the 2022/23 pay award and patient safety concerns.
In Derby and Derbyshire members of the GMB trade union (ambulance staff) received enough votes to have a mandate and industrial action is planned to take place at East Midlands Ambulance Service (EMAS) on Wednesday 11 January 2023, from 00.01 hours to 23.59 hours.
Details of how EMAS, along with system partners, have prepared for the industrial action are available on their website at https://www.emas.nhs.uk/news/latest-news/2023-news/industrial-action-at-emas-january-2023-information-for-the-public/. More information on the background to the industrial action is also provided along with helpful information for the public.
Industrial action last took place at EMAS on 21 December 2022, and despite a 33% reduction in emergency and urgent calls on the day, it remained immensely challenging. EMAS are again working closely with trade union colleagues, and NHS and blue-light service providers across the region to do all they can to minimise the impact on patient safety and to seek to ensure they can be there for patients experiencing life-threatening emergencies in the East Midlands.
EMAS will publish any further updates on their website at www.emas.nhs.uk or via their Twitter channel: https://twitter.com/EMASNHSTrust.
Royal College of Nursing industrial action
At the time of writing members of the Royal College of Nursing are due to take industrial action on 18 and 19 January 2023. Negotiation is still ongoing around derogations at affected provider trusts in Derby and Derbyshire.