AN EMERGENCY worker has spoken out about the state of the NHS after recently going on strike and joining the picket line in Ilminster.

Ambulance workers across the country went on strike for three days, twice this month, to ask for better pay and conditions.

Stuart Cumming, who has been an emergency assistant for 19 years, said the system is “unsustainable” and issues such as staff retention and staff recruiting are “at an all-time low”.

Mr Cumming said: “Obviously the media focused on the pay which is a massive part of the strikes but there are other issues, like recruiting staff, and retention is at an all-time low.

“I have been working for the service for 19 years, it was a very sought-after job. Now people are not applying because of wages and conditions.

“Most of the care assistants earn £11.77 per hour, which is £1.20 more than the minimum wage. Workers’ lifespan in the service is three years.

“To work for the NHS is an absolute privilege. We are very proud of what we do. It is just heartbreaking to see the NHS crumbling.

“The hardest part is the fact that people are now waiting so long for an ambulance, sometimes even more than 24 hours.

“The reason why we are not getting ambulances is that we are waiting outside the emergency department, and we can not attend other calls.

“It is a complicated issue but is not the emergency department’s fault at all. The main issue is the social care issue.

“There are patients in hospitals who are well, but not well enough to be by themselves. It’s a vicious circle. There’s a massive social care issue.”

Mr Cumming is also calling on the Government to “invest” instead of “burying its head in the sand”.

He added: “Many other jobs are paying more than this, but I’m not dissing anyone else’s jobs, they deserve decent pay. The Government should invest more in social care instead of burying its head in the sand.

“Our 12-hour shift is now 14 or 15 hours and then we need to go back the following day and do it again. We were heroes during Covid when they promised the Earth and delivered none.

“They are using us as an excuse to change the low on striking, it’s awful. There’s so much that they could be doing.

“The system is unsustainable the way it is at the moment, and it’s slightly being privatised. It used to be the envy of the world; we are letting it rot. It is very frustrating.

“I have thought about leaving but I have done it for so many years it would be difficult to change. In a way, I am trapped in this job. Each shift is a shift closer to retirement, but I love my job.

“The newer staff can leave, being attracted by different jobs.

“Our dissatisfaction and low morale are not with our immediate employer, it has more to do with the Government on a national level.

“We need a reasonable pay rise, and we need to see investments. We need to attract and keep staff.

“As far as we are aware, discussions haven’t even started, unlike Scotland and Wales. We can not lose two days a month in this cost-of-living crisis, striking is not something that we do lightly.”