Ambulance service colleagues will be taking industrial action on Wednesday 21 December.

In preparation, we have been working to discharge as many patients as possible from hospital in advance of the strike, where those patients are medically fit and it is considered safe to do so.

Anyone with a hospital appointment on 21 or 28 December is asked to attend as normal. Should a patient be subject to any changes e.g. to patient transport arrangements or should there be a need to reschedule their appointment, patients will be contacted directly to let them know and make alternative arrangements.

Members of the public should be aware that there will be fewer ambulances on the roads during industrial action, and those with life-threatening needs will be prioritised. 999 call handlers are expected to be very busy on strike days and NHS 111 call centres will have fewer staff, with longer call response times expected across the system.

As a result, anyone with non-urgent care needs should first seek help from NHS 111 online.

If you are unwell and need assistance, you should also consider alternatives such as:

• Local pharmacies
• Your GP practice
• Local Urgent Treatment Centres

Regardless of any strike action taking place, it is really important that patients who need urgent medical care continue to come forward, especially in emergency and life-threatening cases – when someone is seriously ill or injured, or their life is at risk.

Further information and advice can be found on the NHS England website.