NHS strike chaos threatens to spread as paramedics REJECT pay offer on first day of doctors' walkout
It came as a five-day walkout by hospital resident doctors began over pay, led by the British Medical Association union.
NHS chiefs said the health service was still 'open for business'.
But ambulance crews and other NHS staff in the GMB union yesterday voted 67 per cent in favour of rejecting their 3.6 per cent offer for this year's pay rise.
Paramedics joined nursing strikes in the winter of 2022-23 and could vote to do so again if they cannot get a better offer from Health Secretary Wes Streeting.
National Secretary Rachel Harrison said: 'We have written to Wes Streeting, asking him to meet with us to discuss pay and other issues.'
The Royal College of Nursing is also angry at getting a lower wage rise than doctors — and hospital consultants with the BMA are also considering striking again.
As resident doctors, formerly called junior doctors, kicked off their strike to demand for a 29 per cent pay rise over the 5.4 per cent offer, Mr Streeting warned he could not guarantee patient safety.
He said: 'I'm really proud of the way that NHS leaders and frontline staff have mobilised to minimise the disruption and the risk of harm to patients.
'What I can't do is guarantee there will be none. That's why the BMA's action is so irresponsible.'
The BMA has made one exception for its strike so far.
It allowed resident doctors to be called in to cover neo-natal intensive care at Nottingham City Hospital to protect newborn babies' lives.
Strike leader Dr Melissa Ryan, who works there, said: 'We don't have enough senior staff to cover the doctors that aren't there.
"It is important to us that those very sick babies get a lot of care.'
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