A union has called for an independent inquiry by the Care Quality Commission into the Yorkshire ambulance dispute, as paramedics and ambulance staff prepare for more strike action this week and next.

Unite’s members will hold two further strikes between 3pm and 8pm on Friday and Monday, over the introduction of shift patterns they say could see staff working ten hours without a meal break.

Unite regional officer Terry Cunliffe said: “We would welcome an independent inquiry by the CQC to determine whether it is Unite or the trust’s executives who are misleading the public about the facts in this dispute.”

David Whiting, chief executive of the Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust, said: “We are fully assured that we have followed all due process on the changes we are making.”

A CQC spokesman said they were currently considering whether any regulatory action was required.

Unite members previously took industrial action on February 1 and 3.