THOUSANDS of health workers across East Lancashire took part in co-ordinated strike action yesterday in the first national walk-out over pay in more than 30 years.

Midwives, nurses, ambulance staff, and hospital support workers joined picket lines from 7am for four hours, in protest at the government’s decision not to accept recommendations for a one per cent pay rise for all NHS staff.

MORE TOP STORIES:

Hospitals, mental health facilities and ambulance bosses consolidated their non-union staff around emergency and urgent services, while some planned operations and clinics were rearranged.

Meanwhile, ambulance chiefs drafted in military personnel to help cope with 999 calls.

East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust (ELHT), North West Ambulance Service (NWAS) and Lancashire Care NHS Foundation Trust all said there was minimal disruption for patients.

ELHT did not answer a question about the number of cancellations, but said: “Our services worked as normal with no impact on emergency care.

“Advanced planning and communication with patients enabled us to keep disruption to elective procedures to a minimum.

“We recognise that staff had the right to show their support for the industrial action and we worked closely with the trade unions to cover all services during the hours of the strike.”

NWAS said about 83 per cent of its emergency crews were operating in Lancashire and Cumbria. As well as voluntary services, the trust deployed military personnel as drivers to accompany ambulance staff in Greater Manchester, Merseyside and Cheshire.

Director of Operations Derek Cartwright said: “There was no doubt that today would be a challenge but one I believe we have managed extremely well.

“Every life-threatening call received by the trust was responded to and I am very grateful for the staff and the military which assisted those who urgently needed help.”

He said there were no ‘adverse incidents’ throughout the four-hour strike, although it acknowledged there may have been some patients who waited longer than usual for a response.

Lancashire Care NHS Foundation Trust, the county’s mental health provider, said five routine clinics were called off and rearranged in East Lancashire.

Paul Foley, the North West region’s head of health for the largest union, Unison, said: “NHS members don’t take action often or lightly, but they have been put in a position where they feel they simply have to take a stand.”

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt said: “The majority of NHS staff get an automatic three per cent increment (pay increase on a fixed scale) but we can’t afford to give a one per cent rise to people already getting that.”