A health chief attacked a strike by Yorkshire ambulance workers in a row over shifts as “reckless”.
Members of the Unite union in Yorkshire walked out for 24 hours from midnight, and again for four hours from 3pm on Monday. They claim some paramedics could work for 10 hours without a meal break under new longer shift patterns.
The union said this would impact on patient safety and was calling for a 30-minute meal break every six hours.
The Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust said the industrial action would impact on services . Chief executive David Whiting accused Unite of “neglecting” patient care, adding: “I would like to reiterate that I remain deeply concerned over this type of action, which I know is of concern to all of our A&E staff, who are very committed to patient care, and will place many of them in a very difficult situation.”
He said contingency plans were in place, focussing on providing a safe, and high-quality emergency service .
Unite officer Terry Cunliffe said: “Our members, who are doing their best for the Yorkshire public in very difficult circumstances, have been under sustained attack by the trust’s hardline management for more than a year.”
