Who is striking? How Wednesday 21 December’s walkouts will affect you

It’s the strike nobody wants. Union leaders, the government and NHS leaders all say they do not want the ambulance strike to continue on Wednesday. But it will – there’s no hope of a last-minute deal to avoid this.

The action across most of England and Wales will involve paramedics, control room staff and support staff.

About 750 military personnel were drafted to help.

The most life-threatening calls, including cardiac arrest calls, are unaffected.

This is my latest daily briefing with lots of useful information.

Approximately 10,000 members of Unison, GMB and Unite unions in most areas England and Wales will participate in the draw. East of England will be the only service unaffected.

Strike start times and lengths vary between emergency services, but all last between 12 and 24 hours.

Ambulances continue to be sent to the most life-threatening calls – known as Category 1, which includes heart attacks. But it is up to each NHS trust to decide which calls to respond to, in consultation with unions.

Patients who are seriously ill, injured or whose life is in danger are advised by the NHS to call 999. For all other health needs, the NHS is advising people to contact NHS 111 online or via the NHS 111 helpline, or contact your GP or pharmacist.

Many of the ambulances will be armed forces personnel. But their role will be limited – they will not be sent on critical care assignments and they will not provide clinical care.

Household Department members who are drafted say they feel “nervous” but also “honoured” to help.

Watch Strikes Make Sense on iPlayer and learn more about why people are on strike and if industrial action works.

Already this year, NHS workers in England and Wales, including ambulances, have received an average increase of 4.75% – with a guaranteed increase of at least £1,400 for the lowest paid.

Unions representing ambulance workers are demanding above-inflation wage increases to, they say, prevent a recruitment crisis.

Officials in the Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union – including driver examiners – continue to strike Wednesday.

Until December 24th the strikes are taking place in North West England, Yorkshire and the Humber.

From Wednesday teatime we have another strike meeting for you – with a view to Thursday.

But as Christmas approaches, we know it’s one of the busiest and chaoticest weeks of the year for many people. So keep the following in mind for the coming week:

On Friday 23 and Saturday December 24th Communication Workers Union (CWU) members will be disembarking on two of the busiest days for pre-Christmas deliveries.

If you still have cards to send, unfortunately you have missed the last few days of Christmas mail for both first and second class mail.

There are ongoing disruptions and some local strikes during that week and well into the next, but a national strike of RMT members is scheduled to begin at December 24th 6:00 p.m. to December 27th 6:00 a.m. According to Network Rail, most train journeys finish at 3pm on Christmas Eve.

Even on strike-free days, many passengers are threatened with service restrictions due to a ban on overtime by RMT at 14 railway companies – the ban applies until January 2nd. On some lines, this means services start late and end early.

Check out our full guide to the train strikes or Network Rail’s advice.

Check out our full rundown of all the strikes in December and January.

consequences Zoë Conway on Twitter

How are you affected by the strikes? Do you take part in strike action? You can send an email: haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.

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