North West Ambulance Service apologises for delays and issues urgent plea to patients

An ambulance boss has apologised for delays in responding to emergency calls and issued an urgent plea for patients to "think before dialling 999".

The North West Ambulance Service (NWAS) released a video from its medical director saying extra resources had been called in to deal with the most life-threatening conditions.

It followed news that there were more than 600 patients waiting for ambulances across the North West at 5pm on Monday (12 December 2022), with 100 emergency vehicles at hospitals waiting to hand over patients.

Dr Chris Grant said: "Across both our 111 and 999 services, we are seeing really significant demand.

"I apologise for the delay in getting care to you but I do need your help.

"We need to keep our phone lines free, so please only call us back if you no longer need our help or if your own condition has got significantly worse."

NWAS said a combination of factors, including severe weather and hospital handover delays, had impacted on its ability to respond quickly to patients.

In a statement, the service said it was maximising its resources by putting all clinically-trained staff on the responding frontline, increasing its use of private providers and working with healthcare partners to guide non-urgent cases to other healthcare services.

It stressed that people should only call 999 for life-threatening emergencies.

Ged Blezard, director of operations, added: "Please only call 999 if someone has a serious illness or injury, you think their life is at risk, and you cannot get them to hospital by any other means.

"We know there are patients waiting for our help and we are sorry that we are unable to respond as quickly as we would like.

"Please be assured that we will get to you as soon as we can."

Typical emergencies include cardiac arrest, loss of consciousness, fits that aren’t stopping, chest pain, breathing difficulties, severe bleeding, severe allergic reactions, burns and scalds, suspected stroke and serious head injuries.

For all other health concerns, people were advised to check their symptoms at 111.nhs.uk and "call on friends or relatives for transport if necessary".

The move was greeted with concern by some people on social media.

Preston councillor Fiona Duke tweeted: "Anyone else feeling rather worried about this? A very sobering message. Hats off to all our paramedics, doing their best in extremely difficult circumstances."

A volunteer first responder added: "A very important message. At a time when all 999 services, particularly ambulance and EDs, are stretched [the NHS] needs your (the public’s) support. Please ensure you do your bit to reduce the pressure."

According to its website, the NWAS serves more than 7 million people across Cumbria, Lancashire, Greater Manchester, Merseyside, Cheshire and Glossop in Derbyshire.

It receives about 1.3 million 999 calls and handles more than 1.5 million NHS 111 calls each year.