Don’t get drunk: UK government urges caution amid ambulance strike
- Ambulance workers across England and Wales staged their biggest walkout in three decades. They are seeking big raises in the face of decades-high inflation
- To reduce the risk of needing an ambulance, the government advised people not to get drunk, play contact sports or take unnecessary car trips
Thousands of ambulance workers in Britain began a one-day strike on Wednesday, with unions and the government swapping accusations of blame for putting lives at risk.
To reduce the risk of needing an ambulance, the government advised people not to get drunk, play contact sports or take unnecessary car trips as paramedics, call-handlers and technicians across England and Wales staged their biggest walkout in three decades.
Three ambulance unions were striking for either 12 or 24 hours. They have pledged to respond to life-threatening calls, but officials said they could not guarantee everyone who needed an ambulance would get one.
“The system will be under very severe pressure today,” Health Secretary Steve Barclay told Sky News. “We’re saying to the public to exercise their common sense in terms of what activities they do, being mindful of those pressures that are on the system.”
Stephen Powis, national medical director of the National Health Service in England, advised people not to get “blind drunk.”
“It’s the season of parties, pre-Christmas, so do enjoy yourself but obviously don’t get so drunk that you end up with an unnecessary visit” to a hospital emergency room, he said.
Healthcare staff and other public sector workers are seeking big raises in the face of decades-high inflation that was running at 10.7 per cent in November.