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The shortest day of the year.
Today is the winter solstice, which means there will be more sunlight from here.
The head of the NHS Confederation calls on the Government and unions to reach an agreement
Matthew Taylor, chief executive of the NHS Confederation, which represents NHS organisations, told BBC Breakfast that he wanted to “encourage our colleagues in the ambulance union to work as amicably as possible with squads today to try to minimize damage to the patient.
He added: “These strikes add to the fact that we are already in a very difficult situation.
“In most regions of the country, the ambulance service has not achieved its objectives for treating category 2 cases, that is, less urgent cases, life-threatening, but still very important, urgent and critical.
“So this strike couldn’t have come at a worse time because of the pressures the NHS is facing.”
He said “we cannot afford to be plunged into a winter of mass action”, urging the government and unions to come to terms.
Ambulance workers are on strike today
From 00:01 on the 21st of December, the GMB is carrying out a massive action involving the Welsh Ambulance Service and NHS 111.
The force warned that during this period, unless it was an emergency, some people would not be able to get an ambulance.
Serious accident last night in Cardiff
Traffic jams gripped Cardiff last night after two incidents brought the city’s roads to a standstill. According to Inrix’s traffic monitoring service, Ninian Park Road was closed in both directions due to the incident in the area.
Traffic was slow between the B4267 Leckwith Road and Kitchener Road due to the accident. Due to the incident at the intersection of Sloper Road and Leckwith Road and a lane closure on the A4232, traffic in this part of the city was “incredibly slow”, Cardiff Bus confirmed on Twitter. Traffic monitoring service Inrix later confirmed that the A4232 had been cleared.
South Wales Police in Cardiff confirmed at around 4.45pm that they were at the scene of a “serious collision” on Ninian Park Road. They added: “The road is currently closed in both directions. It is expected to be closed for some time. The recommendation is that drivers avoid the area and use alternative routes whenever possible.”
Road and traffic monitoring service Inrix said Leckwith Road was “closed in both directions due to an accident between Ninian Park Road and Sloper Road”.
The Welsh Ambulance Service confirmed it had responded to the incident and one person was taken to the University Hospital of Wales in the Heath area of Cardiff. We will bring you further updates on both incidents as soon as they reach us.
Leckwith Road and Ninian Park Road are believed to have reopened after 3am this morning, but this has yet to be confirmed by official sources.
Heavy traffic near Cardiff
Junction A4232 is busy but overtakes M4 J33 (Cardiff West and services).
Welsh Met Office Forecast
Today: “A nearly dry day across the country with plenty of sunshine for most. Occasional isolated rain possible along west and south coasts. The winds will also decrease during the day. Maximum temperatures of 10°C”.
Tonight: “Dry with clear spells early on, but clouds will build up, rain from the west during the afternoon. Minimum temperature of 6 °C”.
Source: Wales Online
The shortest day of the year.
Today is the winter solstice, which means there will be more sunlight from here.
The head of the NHS Confederation calls on the Government and unions to reach an agreement
Matthew Taylor, chief executive of the NHS Confederation, which represents NHS organisations, told BBC Breakfast that he wanted to “encourage our colleagues in the ambulance union to work as amicably as possible with squads today to try to minimize damage to the patient.
He added: “These strikes add to the fact that we are already in a very difficult situation.
“In most regions of the country, the ambulance service has not achieved its objectives for treating category 2 cases, that is, less urgent cases, life-threatening, but still very important, urgent and critical.
“So this strike couldn’t have come at a worse time because of the pressures the NHS is facing.”
He said “we cannot afford to be plunged into a winter of mass action”, urging the government and unions to come to terms.
Ambulance workers are on strike today
From 00:01 on the 21st of December, the GMB is carrying out a massive action involving the Welsh Ambulance Service and NHS 111.
The force warned that during this period, unless it was an emergency, some people would not be able to get an ambulance.
Serious accident last night in Cardiff
Traffic jams gripped Cardiff last night after two incidents brought the city’s roads to a standstill. According to Inrix’s traffic monitoring service, Ninian Park Road was closed in both directions due to the incident in the area.
Traffic was slow between the B4267 Leckwith Road and Kitchener Road due to the accident. Due to the incident at the intersection of Sloper Road and Leckwith Road and a lane closure on the A4232, traffic in this part of the city was “incredibly slow”, Cardiff Bus confirmed on Twitter. Traffic monitoring service Inrix later confirmed that the A4232 had been cleared.
South Wales Police in Cardiff confirmed at around 4.45pm that they were at the scene of a “serious collision” on Ninian Park Road. They added: “The road is currently closed in both directions. It is expected to be closed for some time. The recommendation is that drivers avoid the area and use alternative routes whenever possible.”
Road and traffic monitoring service Inrix said Leckwith Road was “closed in both directions due to an accident between Ninian Park Road and Sloper Road”.
The Welsh Ambulance Service confirmed it had responded to the incident and one person was taken to the University Hospital of Wales in the Heath area of Cardiff. We will bring you further updates on both incidents as soon as they reach us.
Leckwith Road and Ninian Park Road are believed to have reopened after 3am this morning, but this has yet to be confirmed by official sources.
Heavy traffic near Cardiff
Junction A4232 is busy but overtakes M4 J33 (Cardiff West and services).
Welsh Met Office Forecast
Today: “A nearly dry day across the country with plenty of sunshine for most. Occasional isolated rain possible along west and south coasts. The winds will also decrease during the day. Maximum temperatures of 10°C”.
Tonight: “Dry with clear spells early on, but clouds will build up, rain from the west during the afternoon. Minimum temperature of 6 °C”.
Jason Jack is an experienced technology journalist and author at The Nation View. With a background in computer science and engineering, he has a deep understanding of the latest technology trends and developments. He writes about a wide range of technology topics, including artificial intelligence, machine learning, software development, and cybersecurity.
