'If NHS workers don't take a stand on pay and staffing, more patients will die'

Exclusive:

"Instead of raising the stakes by talking about COBRA and the military, ministers should focus all their efforts on ending disputes," writes the general secretary of Unison for the Mirror

Unison General Secretary Christina McAnea said staff want to save lives, but many can no longer properly do the work they love (

Image: Vuk Valcic/ZUMA Press Wire/REX/Shutterstock)

No paramedic wants to strike. They are forced to take this desperate step because the government has left the NHS in such a dire state.

If NHS workers don't take a stand on salaries and staffing, more patients will die while waiting for emergency care and those with minor ailments will get sicker.

Every day the situation becomes more dangerous as resources are stretched to breaking point. Low pay in the NHS is fueling a growing staffing crisis.

Vacancies have never been higher and the number of patients awaiting treatment is also at record highs. While the health department is still understaffed, the patient experience will not improve.

Caring is in the DNA of ambulance staff and their NHS colleagues. They want to save lives, but many can no longer properly do the work they love.

Paramedics and other ambulance workers backed the strike following a dispute over wages and working conditions (

Picture:

Getty Images)

Viewers of the BBC documentary 'Ambulance' know only too well the overwhelming pressures they face.

At the end of each shift, staff feel immense guilt for not being able to provide the care they wanted to provide.

Crews are increasingly faced with the ordeal of...