We have put plans in place to manage the impact of the upcoming industrial action by North West Ambulance Service which is set to take place on Friday 10th February 2023.

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.

Our priority is to keep our patients safe therefore we are working to keep ambulances on the road by creating additional space in and next to our A&E departments. This will make sure ambulances are not being held up at our hospitals. 

If we have not contacted you, please attend your appointment as planned. The NHS will contact you if your appointment needs to be rescheduled due to strike action.

If you need medical help or advice, go to NHS 111 online unless it is a life-threatening emergency when you should still call 999.

Patients should only call 999 if it is a medical or mental health emergency (when someone is seriously ill or injured and their life is at risk).

Ambulances will still be able to respond in these situations, but this may only be where there is an immediate risk to life.

There will be fewer ambulances on the roads during industrial action, with the NHS prioritising those with life-threatening needs. As a result patients whose conditions are not life-threatening are unlikely to get an ambulance on strike days. We are also advising people who are pregnant to make sure that they have transport plans in place to get to hospital if they go into labour. 

We expect our A&E departments to be very busy during this period but we will be prioritising those who need us the most. 

During strike days, it is likely 999 call handlers will be very busy. NHS 111 call centres will also have fewer staff, with longer call response times expected across the system. As a result, we are urging anyone with non-urgent care need to first seek help from NHS 111 online.

For more information on when to call 999 and when to go to A&E, you can visit the NHS UK website.