A senior British health official has urged citizens to resist the urge to get "blind drunk" at Christmas parties as ambulance staff walk out on strike.
Sir Stephen Powis, the National Health Service (NHS) medical director for England, called on Brits not to overdo it at pre-Christmas parties with workmates and friends, lest they wind up in already-overloaded hospital Accident and Emergency (A&E) departments.
"It’s the season of parties, pre-Christmas, so do enjoy yourself but obviously don’t get so drunk that you end up with an unnecessary visit," Powis said on Wednesday.
That was the first day of strike action by ambulance paramedics, support and call centre staff organised by super-unions Unite and UNISON.
Like nurses, rail, postal and other striking workers, they have rejected annual pay offer of around five per cent, less than half the current rate of inflation driven by Western sanctions on Russia.
The government has ordered 750 soldiers — 600 drivers and 150 mechanics — to cover the emergency service in what some called a strike-breaking move.
"The system will be under very severe pressure today," Health Secretary Steve Barclay said. "We’re saying to the public to exercise their common sense in terms of what activities they do, being mindful of those pressures that are on the system."
"I have never seen such an abdication of leadership as I have from Rishi Sunak and the health secretary," said Unite general secretary Sharon Graham on a visit to a picket line in Coventry.
"This government can make different choices," Graham insisted. "They can say that ‘actually we choose to invest in the people in the NHS.’ But they are looking at different choices, because they don’t want this to end. I think they want this crisis to be there."