The NHS is braced for its greatest strike in latest historical past on Monday with nurses, ambulance staff and paramedics throughout England and Wales set to stroll out, because the blame recreation between ministers and unions escalates.

Tens of hundreds of nurses backed by the Royal School of Nursing are anticipated to participate in industrial motion throughout 73 NHS trusts. Almost 12,000 ambulance staff affiliated with both the GMB or Unite unions will even stroll out.

Well being unions are calling on the federal government to re-examine pay suggestions made by the unbiased pay overview physique for the present monetary 12 months of 2022-23. This noticed greater than 1mn workers granted a £1,400 pay rise.

Authorities officers have repeatedly argued that climbing public sector pay dangers additional worsening inflation. However they’ve dedicated to discussing working circumstances, wider funding within the NHS and the upcoming 2023-24 monetary 12 months pay settlement.

Enterprise secretary Grant Shapps on Sunday voiced concern over the affect of strikes on public security, warning that sufferers confronted a “postcode lottery” over emergency care.

NHS England has urged the general public to name 999 providers solely within the case of a “medical or psychological well being emergency”, and warned that sufferers whose circumstances weren’t life-threatening “could not get an ambulance on strike days”.

Based on NHS information, about 27,826 scheduled inpatient elective procedures and outpatient appointments needed to be rescheduled due to RCN strikes on January 18 and 19. Greater than 1,000 inpatient elective procedures and scheduled outpatient appointments had been cancelled on account of ambulance walkouts on January 11.

“We’ve seen the scenario the place the Royal School of Nursing very responsibly earlier than the strikes informed the NHS ‘That is the place we’re going to be hanging’ and they’re able to put the emergency cowl in place,” Shapps informed Sky’s Sophy Ridge on Sunday programme.

“Sadly we have now been seeing a scenario with the ambulance unions the place they refuse to supply that data,” he continued. “That leaves the Military, who’re driving the backups right here, in a really troublesome place — a postcode lottery with regards to having a coronary heart assault or a stroke when there’s a strike on”.

Well being unions accused the minister of mischaracterising the scenario and lambasted the federal government for failing to have significant discussions over pay.

“The concept that he’s saying that ambulance staff didn’t do minimal cowl within the dispute is an absolute, utter lie,” Unite basic secretary Sharon Graham informed the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg.

“I can categorically say to you we’re in no talks at any stage in anyway with the federal government about pay within the NHS, and that could be a actual abdication of accountability,” she stated, calling on Sunak to “come to the desk and negotiate”.

This sentiment was echoed by GMB nationwide secretary Rachel Harrison who stated that it had “been nearly a month because the authorities engaged in any significant dialogue”.

“The NHS is crumbling . . . The federal government must get up and speak pay now,” she stated.

Well being secretary Steve Barclay stated strike motion would “inevitably trigger additional delays for sufferers”, and known as on unions to have interaction with the federal government on discussions on this coming 12 months’s pay settlement.

“I’ve held constructive talks with the commerce unions on pay and affordability and proceed to induce them to name off the strikes,” he continued. “It’s time for the commerce unions to look ahead and interact in a constructive dialogue concerning the Pay Assessment Physique Course of for the approaching 12 months.”

Final week, the GMB union and the RCN suspended walkouts in Wales deliberate for Monday following a pay provide by the Cardiff authorities. The provide which consists of an additional 3 per cent, backdated to April 2022, has intensified stress on Sunak’s authorities to comply with swimsuit.

In a letter to Sunak despatched over the weekend, RCN basic secretary Pat Cullen warned that the UK authorities appeared “more and more remoted” in its resolution to not reopen the pay settlement for 2022-23

“I’m urging you to make use of this weekend to reset your authorities within the eyes of the general public and exhibit it’s on the facet of the hardworking, respectable taxpayer,” she wrote.