SOUTH Central Ambulance Service (SCAS) is preparing for an escalation in industrial action as two additional unions join the picket line.

GMB union members are being joined by members of Unite and Unison, both of which have voted for industrial action to take place.

Further industrial action is scheduled to take place in the Winchester area on Wednesday, March 8 and Monday, March 20. Action also occurred on Monday, March 6.

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Speaking ahead of the action, SCAS director of operations, Mark Ainsworth, said: “The escalation of the industrial action in SCAS now means it is at a level that has already been experienced by other NHS ambulance trusts during this dispute. We have been liaising closely with colleagues in those trusts to help ensure that SCAS as an organisation is as prepared as possible to continue prioritising our services to patients with immediately life-threatening or time-critical conditions when industrial action is taking place.”

SCAS has warned that it is likely that most people calling 999 without a life-threatening or immediately serious need will not be sent an ambulance resource and instead will be directed to alternative, local services.

Hampshire residents are instead being asked to instead seek help and advice from alternatives to 999, such as their own GP or local pharmacy.

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Outside of normal GP hours, or for urgent help for people five or over, residents are asked to instead call 111.

SCAS has been planning for this industrial action for a number of weeks. In preparation, the trust has cancelled most training in the week leading up to, and on, the days of industrial action and ensured that clinical managers are freed from management duties to respond if needed to 999 and 111 operational demand on strike days.

50 military personnel have also been requested to support 999 operations on industrial action days, and derogations have been agreed with union colleagues in advance to ensure staff taking industrial action can be recalled to duty if there is an unacceptable risk to a patient.

Residents are also advised that calls to 111 may be impacted by the industrial action, with a chance that some calls may take longer to answer than usual. Patients are advised to use the online service 111.nhs.uk in the first instance.