South Western Ambulance Service declares critical incident as Bank Holiday demand surges
South Western Ambulance Service has declared a critical incident following a surge in emergency calls over the Bank Holiday weekend.
The service, which covers Dorset and Wiltshire, has warned that some patients may wait longer for an ambulance while others could be advised to access alternative services if their call is not life-threatening.
The public has been urged only to call 999 in a genuine and life threatening emergency.
SWASFT has dealt with almost 300 additional emergency incidents a day since the government eased lockdown restrictions to allow the reopening of outdoor hospitality and retail on 12 April.
It responded to an average of 2,913 incidents a day last week, compared with 2,816 incidents a day between 12 April and 16 May, and 2,627 incidents a day before any of those changes took effect.
Earlier, South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust warned of similar issues over what was expected to be a busy Bank Holiday weekend.
SECAmb, which covers Kent, Sussex and Surrey, asked the public to only dial 999 if it's a serious or life threatening emergency.
Recent weeks have seen an increase in 999 calls to the Trust with SECAmb handling close to 70,000 calls so far in May.
Throughout the weekend, people are asked to make use of NHS 111 both by phone and online at 111.nhs.uk and to seek advice from healthcare professionals including pharmacists.