As you may be aware, GMB, Unison and Unite have recently announced intended industrial action by ambulance workers across parts of England and Wales, with staff intending to strike on both Wednesday 11th January and Monday 23rd January 2023.
The NHS has advised that in the areas impacted by this industrial action low-priority ambulance calls will be affected, which is likely to include falls categorised as non-life threatening.
Taking Care, your personal alarm provider, will be working 24/7 as normal to monitor any alarms and we are well resourced to answer and support our Customers in the event of an emergency on and around these dates.
On these dates, for any emergency requiring an ambulance response, Taking Care will contact the Ambulance Service to request an ambulance in the normal way. However, there could be considerable disruption and extended wait times to ambulance attendance for non-life threatening falls and other emergency situations in areas impacted by these strikes.
The purpose of this communication is to raise awareness of this situation, which is outside of Taking Care’s control, and to provide some practical advice and information to support our Customers to stay safe during this exceptional period.
Important advice to remain safe during the ambulance service strikes
- Make certain the contact details we hold for emergency contacts (family, friends, neighbours) are up to date – click this link to let us know if any contact details have recently changed taking.care/accountupdate.
- If you have no emergency contacts recorded with Taking Care and do have someone we could call to support you in the event of an emergency then give us these contact details by clicking taking.care/accountupdate.
- Any emergency contacts should be made aware of the ambulance service strike and be available, where possible, in the event Taking Care contact them to support in an emergency situation on and around these dates.
- Ensure alarm pendants are being worn at all times and wearable alarms are fully charged, and if the Customer has a mobile phone then keep it with them, charged and topped up with funds.
- Consider activities and stay safe on the strike days, avoiding potentially hazardous situations and if it is necessary to do something which poses a risk then wear appropriate footwear and clothes, dress warm and ask for assistance if you can - please do take care.
- Customers may wish to consider alternative transport to NHS services for low level incidents, where they feel able to travel.
We also please request you avoid testing the personal alarm on these dates as we focus all of our resources to supporting customers who may require our help and response to an emergency situation.
To further support our customers, you can download our guide to managing a fall which contains some good practice advice and guidance intended to help anyone who finds that they have fallen to stay safe and healthy.
Download guide to managing a fall
Thank you for taking the time to read this. Please do stay safe and remember we are here, with direct access to NHS Urgent Community Response services (UCR), ready and waiting to support our Customers throughout this period of ambulance worker industrial action and beyond, right across the festive period.
If you do have any questions or wish to discuss any part of this communication then please contact our Customer Service Team on 0800 0121 321 or email enquiries@ppptakingcare.co.uk.
Yours sincerely,
Andrew Ridpath
Head of Customer Experience
