Northern Ireland braced for biggest health strike yet next week amid 'disappointment' from Downing Street of escalating NHS crisis

Ambulance workers including paramedics, nurses, carers and a range of other health and social care workers are set to take to picket lines at hospitals across Northern Ireland on Thursday.

A total of three trade unions will be on strike that day - the largest in the Northern Ireland health service Unison, alongside Nipsa and Unite.

Unions were meeting on Friday with officials from the regional health trusts, including the trust overseeing the Northern Ireland Ambulance service, to work out 'derogations' to ensure patient safety.

A further meeting is due to take place on Monday between the ambulance service and trade unions ahead of Thursday's walkout.

This comes amid a continued escalation of the industrial action sweeping the wider NHS.

The key date elsewhere in the UK will be February 6, which is set to bring the biggest strike action in the history of the NHS.

On Friday morning, the Unite trade union announced fresh ambulance worker walkouts for that date - when members of the Royal College of Nursing are also set to go on strike.

The Unite trade union is understood to represent around a third of the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service workforce, with the remainder of the unionised workers represented by Unison and Nipsa.

Kevin McAdam, from the Unite union in Northern Ireland, said: "The 26th of January is the first industrial action by the Unite union in the Northern Ireland health service, which includes aspects of the ambulance service.

"We're essentially joining the campaign which is already underway about pay by others. It's about two things - paying the health service workers what they're worth, and also enough to attract people into the service and retain the people who are already there.

"The service is on its knees because people are leaving. We need to make it an employer of choice."

Asked about the prospect of strike action in the ambulance service, Mr McAdam sought to reassure the public that the most urgent calls will still be responded to.

"What I can tell you is that our reps are engaging with management about what measures will be put in place to ensure emergencies are covered,” he told the News Letter. “We will be doing all we can to ensure the service, where it’s needed, is provided. But we are withdrawing services so management and the Department of Health and government need to know what our demonstration is about. It won’t be without pain – both for our members and others. Priority will be given to make sure emergency cover is in place, so I would reassure the public we are not walking away. We are making a protest, but emergency services will be covered.”

A spokesman for the Prime Minister called it “disappointing” that strike action would take place amid major strains on the NHS, but said that the Government was committed to reaching a “resolution”.

“I think it’s important to say firstly, that ambulance workers do an incredible job. It’s obviously disappointing that some union members are going ahead with further strikes at a time when the NHS is already under huge pressure."