Ambulance calls up 10% over Easter
Calls to the West Midlands Ambulance Service over the Easter holiday weekend rose by 10%, according to statistics released by the Trust today.
Statistics show that over bank holiday weekends, demand rises by between 10 and 15% for the ambulance service. With the warm weather conditions persisting over the four day break, there was fears that demand on the emergency service could exceed predictions.
Ambulance crews dealt with a range of emergency incidents over the four days and the Trust arranged for additional resources to be put in place to deal with an anticipated rise in call levels. The available data shows that the ambulance service dealt with the rise in demand in an effective and professional way, achieving its performance targets for emergency responses.
A spokesperson for West Midlands Ambulance Service said:
“The Easter holiday period proved a busy time for the ambulance service. The demand on the Service recorded an increase of 10 percent over the same bank holiday period last year, although Easter 2010 fell earlier in the month.”
“Bank Holiday Monday appears to have been the quieter day of the four day break with the weekend generally seeing the increase in activity.”
With the Easter weekend now behind us, the ambulance service is gearing up for the Royal Wedding and May Day Bank Holiday this weekend. Once again, the ambulance service is asking that the public take care and if you do injure yourself, think carefully about whether you really need to call 999 for an emergency ambulance.”
