With Steve Barclay refusing to discuss pay, it is highly likely the discussions will not avert disruption.
Unions representing striking ambulance drivers will attend 11th-hour talks convened by Health Secretary Steve Barclay but the discussions are unlikely to avert the action.
The Health Secretary is understood to hold concerns over whether all emergency calls will be covered, but unions said there would be “no strikes at all if ministers would only talk to unions and improve NHS pay”. “But he remains concerned that some union officials still haven’t confirmed that they will cover all emergency calls in their talks with trusts. Some are even suggesting they could answer calls from picket lines, which would increase delays,” they said.
Taxi drivers, military personnel and police officers could be called into cover calls relating to the less serious remaining two categories under contingency plans.
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