Private ambulance firms are cashing in millions during the biggest strike in the history of the healthcare service.
In another sign of the growing pressures on the NHS, more than £1 million every week is being spent to plug the gap in attending emergency calls, research by a trade union has revealed.
Unison said its figures were based on responses from two thirds of ambulance trusts in England that pay commercial companies to provide cover for critically ill patients.
Bosses are increasingly turning to the commercial sector, commissioning than a dozen companies to fill these gaps.
Trusts are booking the private emergency vehicles and crews up to 12 months in advance to be available to respond to emergency incidents such as road traffic accidents and stroke patients, said Unison.
Speaking ahead of the union’s the health conference in Bournemouth, Unison’s head of health Sara Gorton blasted this as ‘nothing more than a sticking-plaster solution’.
She said: ‘This spend on private 999 services shows a lack of long-term planning and is a shocking waste of money.
‘Ambulance services are in a desperate state because the government has failed to invest long term.
‘Patients are waiting ages for help to arrive or worse still dying before crews can reach them.
‘Others are stuck in emergency vehicles outside hospitals for hours and hours on end waiting for a bed.
‘This is a crisis of the government’s own making that can only be resolved with a long-term plan.
‘Ministers must step up and come up with proper funding to tackle the increasing demand and pay staff properly.’
Unison is publishing the figures after members, including nurses and ambulance crews, accepted a pay offer from the government including a 5% increase and a one-off payment of at least £1,655.
But another NHS strike has been penciled in the calendar for the first May bank holiday.
Members of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) union rejected the same offer and will take to the picket line between April 30 and May 2.
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