Ambulance service see rise in calls during cold snap
Ambulance bosses in the West Midlands say the recent cold snap has led to a significant rise in the number of people dialling 999 for an ambulance.
Last week, there were over 2,000 additional calls compared to the same week last year (2011), equivalent to almost a 13% increase. 2012 = 18,332 calls; 2011 = 16,270.
The additional calls and high levels of demand in the regions hospitals has put substantial pressure on the emergency service.
Assistant Chief Ambulance Officer, Craig Cooke, said: “The last seven days have been really challenging for us. Despite putting considerable additional ambulances and rapid response vehicle on the road, we had to cope with the large rise in demand.
“To put it into context, it was the 12th busiest week we have ever experienced since 2007. It came on the back of the previous week which was the 15th busiest week ever.
“Our staff have been working really hard to provide a high level of clinical care to the patients who have contacted us.
“One fact that is notable is that although there was an almost 13% rise in calls we only saw a five per cent increase in the number of patients taken to hospital.
2012 = 10,781 patients to hospital; 2011 = 10,240 to hospital.
What this clearly demonstrates is that our policy of training our staff to increasingly high levels of clinical skill is paying off. We are able to treat many more patients at home.
“However, our analysis of the figures does also show that we dealt with hundreds of patients who could have accessed another part of the NHS rather than dialling 999.
“The service is designed to deal with people who have a life threatening illness or injury such as choking, chest pain, stroke, serious blood loss or a state of unconsciousness.
“If we are dealing with patients who could have accessed care via a minor injuries unit, a walk in centre or their GP; or had advice from a pharmacist or NHS Direct, then we are not able to respond as quickly as we would want to, to those cases where every second counts.
“I would urge the public to stop and think very carefully before dialling 999 – is your condition of an emergency nature that requires an immediate 999 medical response? If not, access the NHS via another route; you can get a range of advice and a guide to services where you live from www.nhs.uk
“West Midlands Ambulance Service remains committed to getting to every 999 call as quickly as possible, but we need each member of the public to play their own part by using our service wisely.”
