A warning to the public to only call 999 if there is a life-threatening emergency has been issued by the ambulance service as it experiences a huge spike in demand.
The East of England Ambulance Service (EEAST) moved to its highest alert level on New Year’s Eve and is urging the public to think carefully about using 999.
The trust received more than 39,000 calls from Christmas Day and New Year’s Day.
Trust chief executive Neill Moloney said: “I urge the public to only call 999 if there is a life-threatening emergency. Many people will be treated more quickly by using 111, seeing their GP or making their own way to hospital. Arriving by ambulance will not mean you will be seen more quickly.
“Patients with immediately life-threatening conditions are our priority and those with less serious conditions may experience a delayed response. If it is safe to do so they should find alternative care. I apologise in advance to anyone who experiences delays.
“I would also like to express my thanks to our colleagues who are working tirelessly to keep people safe during this busy period.”
The trust received more than 39,000 calls from Christmas Day and New Year’s Day.
This is an unprecedented increase of 7,500 calls compared to a typical eight-day period in the summer. EEAST is expecting the coming weekend to be exceptionally busy.
The move to operate at Resource Escalation Action Plan (REAP) Level 4 comes after a sustained high volume of calls, a significant and sustained number of patients waiting to be handed over at hospitals, and in response to anticipated increased demand due to cold weather.
Moving to this level means the trust can take various actions to help ensure all clinicians are available to respond to calls.
These include redeploying some clinicians to frontline services, incentivising staff to work overtime shifts and adding 90 additional ambulances per day for the next week.