Unions declare Barclay has “lost all credibility” over claim about strike cover

Union leaders have denounced Steve Barclay’s claim that ambulance unions have taken a “conscious choice” to inflict harm on patients as a result of today’s strikes and declared that the Health Secretary has “lost all credibility”.

In an article for the Daily Telegraph published on Tuesday evening, Barclay accused unions of refusing to work with the government at a national level on how to cover emergency calls during the industrial action.

Asked who would be responsible for any deaths during the strike, Barclay told BBC Breakfast today: “It is the trade unions who are taking this action at a point of maximum pressure for the NHS.”

Responding to Barclay’s comments, Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “To say that ambulance unions have taken a conscious choice to inflict harm on patients is a blatant lie. The unions have negotiated critical cover, including 999 calls, at a local level with hosts of NHS trusts. That is how it is done.

“Stephen Barclay obviously doesn’t understand how these issues are dealt with in the NHS. That is an embarrassment for him and the government. He has now lost all credibility. Clearly, he isn’t the man for the job. He’s well past his sell by date.”

UNISON general secretary Christina McAnea described Barclay’s claim as a “complete and utter fabrication” and said she was “utterly astonished” at his comments, adding that the Health Secretary “knows full well” unions have been involved in negotiations about contingency places over the past couple of weeks.

“To suggest anything else is just disgraceful. That’s fear-mongering, that’s making people even more afraid than they currently are. If anyone is responsible for things that happen it is that government in Westminster who have steadfastly refused to talk to us about anything related to pay,” the union leader argued.

Ambulance staff across most of England and Wales have gone on strike today in a coordinated walk-out by the three main ambulance unions, UNISON, GMB and Unite. Tens of thousands of workers are thought to be taking part in the action in a dispute over pay and working conditions.

The Health Secretary met with unions on Tuesday to discuss the strikes, but McAnea revealed following the meeting that “nothing” had been said about pay. The government reportedly instead sought reassurances over strike cover.

The union leader said Barclay was “concerned about the strike, sympathetic to ambulance and other health workers but has no room for manoeuvre apparently”, adding: “I don’t know where we go with this.”

Barclay said in a tweet following the meeting that it was “disappointing” some union members were going ahead with strike action. He said his priority “remains patient safety” and added that there are “contingency plans” in place.

Graham accused Rishi Sunak of an “abdication of responsibility” over the strike on Tuesday, declaring: “It is well beyond time for him to intervene and break the deadlock in the NHS dispute.”

In an interview with the Daily Mail this week, Sunak pledged to resist “unreasonable” union demands and suggested that it was too late to improve pay offers in this financial year. He also admitted that Britain could face months of strikes.

Speaking to the BBC on Tuesday, health minister Will Quince advised viewers against any “risky activity” during the ambulance strike “because there will be disruption”.

Ambulance trusts across England have declared critical incidents today, including Yorkshire ambulance service, North East ambulance service, South East Coast ambulance service and South Western ambulance service.

A critical incident is defined by the NHS as when the level of disruption “results in the organisation temporarily or permanently losing its ability to deliver critical services, patients may have been harmed or the environment is not safe”.