Business continuity incident declared by London Ambulance Service

• London Ambulance Service declared a “business continuity event.”
• It said its 999 and 111 services are very busy.
• It will prioritize sick and injured people.

London Ambulance Service declared a “business continuity event.”

It said its 999 and 111 services are “very busy” and will prioritize sick and injured people.

It asked the public to phone 999 only in a genuine medical emergency and utilize 111 online if they need rapid treatment. Still, it’s not life-threatening, and make their own trip to the hospital if safe and practicable.

Tomorrow, ambulance employees comprising paramedics, control center workers, and technicians will walk out in England and Wales.

More than 1,000 civil servants and 1,200 troops will be sent to cover striking ambulance workers and Border Force staff from 23 December to New Year’s Eve.

Unions called the plan a “desperate step” and said servicemembers aren’t “sufficiently qualified” to fill front-line personnel vacancies.

During the ambulance strike, the military won’t drive blue-light ambulances for serious calls but will support less severe calls.

Unions and ambulance providers are discussing strike exemptions.

All Category 1 calls (such as cardiac arrest) will be answered, but certain ambulance trusts have exemptions for Category 2 occurrences (serious conditions, such as stroke or chest pain).

Trips, falls, and other non-life-threatening injuries won’t be treated.

The London Ambulance Service stated that non-life-threatening patients may not obtain an ambulance during strikes.

Non-life-threatening situations can be helped by NHS 111 online or by phone.

GMB members will strike again on December 28.

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