The public is being urged to only call 999 for “life-threatening emergencies” as ambulance strikes begin across the North West today.
Amid what can only be described as continuing unrest in many industries and sectors of the economy, and just less than a week after the largest nursing strike in NHS history began, tens of thousands of ambulance workers who are members of the GMB Union, Unite, and Unison are all taking part in industrial action and staging a mass walk-out today.
The start of the industrial action comes after North West ambulance workers were among the 15,000 to vote on what is being described as the “biggest strike in 30 years” back in October – with GMB Union saying its members were angry over the government’s imposed 4% pay award, which it said was “another massive real terms pay cut”.
The union said that when it comes to taking strike action, ambulance workers “don’t do this lightly” – but they are “desperate”.
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Today during the industrial strike action, ambulances will still be available to respond, although they will be prioritised for life-threatening injuries and illnesses. Use https://t.co/Q9820lkBIm, your GP or local pharmacy for help with non-urgent health concerns. pic.twitter.com/ujFvA2R4M5
The NWAS has issued a statement ahead of the industrial action to explain what the public can expect of its services on strike days, and is also urging people not to call 999 unless it’s in the case of “life-threatening emergencies”.
Ambulances will still be available to respond on strike days, the NWAS said, but they will be “prioritised” for life-threatening injuries and illnesses.
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Typical emergencies the NWAS says services would be prioritised for include cardiac arrest, loss of consciousness, fits that aren’t stopping, breathing difficulties, severe bleeding, allergic reactions, and serious head injuries.
If hospital treatment is required, the NWAS said patients should also consider taking alternative transport – such as a taxi, or getting a lift from family or friends.
Equally, they should use 111.nhs.uk their GP or local pharmacy for help with non-urgent health concerns.
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Public urged to only call 999 for ‘life-threatening emergencies’ as ambulance strikes begin / Credit: NWAS
“We have tried and tested plans to manage any disruption, however, it’s important to understand there will be an impact on the public,” explained Ged Blezard – Director of Operations at the NWAS.
“We want you to continue to ring 999 if you are in a life-threatening situation.
“However, we are advising patients, that they should consider other forms of transport if they still need to go to a hospital.
“We are maximising our own resources, using private providers and military support where appropriate and working closely with our Trade Unions to provide cover for the most serious emergencies, and we are also working with our healthcare partners to maintain patient safety during these periods of industrial action.”
Mr Blezzard also warned people against repeatedly calling on 999 to check for ambulance updates.
He continued: “If you have already called 999 to request an ambulance, please only call back if your condition has worsened or to cancel the ambulance, as repeatedly calling 999 can block phone lines for other emergencies.
“If you need urgent care, use the symptom checker at NHS 111 online, which will direct you to the most appropriate support.”
Featured Image – NWAS
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Luxury Manchester gym Blok confirms permanent closure after weeks of uncertainty
Daisy Jackson
Blok Manchester has announced its permanent closure, weeks after the doors to the premium fitness facility mysteriously closed.
Around a fortnight ago, members began to arrive to their classes to find the gym on Ducie Street locked up and a forfeiture notice on the door – but at the time, Blok said that it was fighting to reopen.
Sadly, in an email sent to members today, its founder has confirmed that the studio is now permanently closed.
Blok – which has several very successful sites down in London – said that its relationship with its landlord has ‘broken down to a point where trust has been lost’.
The gym wrote that it’s been left with ‘no workable way forward’.
They said: “BLOK Manchester was a space built by our loyal and dedicated community. Whether you joined us for one class or one hundred, we are deeply grateful. You helped create something genuinely special in an incredible city.”
In the immediate future, they said they’ll be supporting the team of fantastic trainers who worked here, as well as looking after members.
Members will be contacted within a few hours with options and refunds owed.
Blok Manchester has announced its permanent closure. Credit: The Manc Group
CEO and founder Ed Stanbury said: “While this marks the end of a chapter, we don’t see it as the end of our story in Manchester. We’re already speaking with developers about potential future sites and remain committed to returning to the city when the time is right.
“Thank you for being part of our story so far. Let’s shape the future of wellness. The mission continues.”
Commenting on Blok’s Instagram post – its first in almost a fortnight – people have been sharing their sadness at the closure of its Manchester site.
One person wrote: “beautiful space, beautiful staff and beautiful community.”
Another said: “Sending love to all the instructors !! :(((( gutted”
Someone else commented: “THE BEST CLASSES. I’m gutted.”
‘The average cost of a pint’ in the UK by region, according to the latest data
Danny Jones
Does it feel like pints keep getting more and more expensive almost every week at this point? Yes. Yes, it does, and while you can’t expect a city as big as Manchester to be one of the cheapest places to get one in the UK, we do often wonder how it compares to other parts of the country.
Well, as it happens, someone has recently crunched the numbers for us across the nation, breaking down which regions pay the most and the least for their pints.
The data has been examined by business management consultancy firm, CGA Strategy, using artificial intelligence and information from the latest Retail Price Index figures to find out what the ‘average cost of a pint’ is down south, up North and everywhere in between.
While the latest statistics provided by the group aren’t granular enough to educate us on Greater Manchester’s pint game exactly, we can show you how our particular geographic region is looking on the leaderboard at the moment.
That’s right, we Mancunians and the rest of the North West are technically joint mid-table when it comes to the lowest average cost of a pint, sharing the places from 3rd to 8th – according to CGA, anyway.
Powered by consumer intelligence company, NIQ (NielsenIQ) – who also use AI and the latest technology to deliver their insights – we can accept it might seem like it’s been a while since you’ve paid that little for a pint, especially in the city centre, but these are the stats they have published.
Don’t shoot the messenger, as they say; unless, of course, they’re trying to rob you blind for a bev. Fortunately, we’ve turned bargain hunting at Manchester bars into a sport at this point.
We might not boast the lowest ‘average’ pint cost in the UK, but we still have some bloody good places to keep drinking affordable.
London tops the charts (pretends to be shocked)
While some of you may have scratched your eyes at the supposed average pint prices here in the North West, it won’t surprise any of you to see that London leads the way when it came to the most expensive pint when it came to average cost in the UK.
To be honest, £5.44 doesn’t just sound cheap but virtually unheard of these days.
CGA has it that the average cost of a beer in the British capital is actually down 15p from its price last September, but as we all know, paying upwards of £7 for a pint down that end of the country is pretty much par for the course the closer you get to London.
Yet more reason you can be glad you live around here, eh? And in case you thought you were leaving this article with very little, think again…
Emily Sergeant -
21st December 2022 
