SATURDAY was the second busiest day in the history of the South Western Ambulance Service (SWASFT) as crews saw unprecedented levels of demand.
Assistant director of operations William Lee has urged people to only call 999 in a life-threatening emergency.
He said: “Our people are working incredibly hard to respond to patients in the south west who need it the most.
“You may have heard us say recently about an unprecedented level of demand the trust has been experiencing.
“That has continued through this weekend and yesterday was the second busiest day in trust history.
“I’m asking today for the public’s help. Please only call 999 in a genuine, life-threatening emergency.
“Please don’t call us back on 999 for an estimated time of arrival as we will not be able to provide one.
“Calling back for ETAs means that people who need immediate, life-saving instructions cannot get through.
“Please do call us back if you no longer need our help or if the patient gets worse.
“Our people continue to work incredibly hard to respond to this level of activity and to ensure we are able to respond to patients who need us most and for life-threatening emergencies.”
SWASFT has also warned the public that in general at present it will prioritise critically ill patients.
The service had its busiest week on record during the first week of July, responding to a total of 22,041 incidents.
It has experienced a significant increase in demand following the easing of lockdown restrictions, dealing with more than 20,000 incidents per week since the start of May, compared with around 18,500 incidents per week in early April.
A SWASFT spokesperson said: “Our service is currently experiencing very high demand, which means we must prioritise critically ill patients.
“Please do not call us back to ask for an estimated arrival time, and only call back if the patient’s condition worsens or you no longer need our help.”
A spokesperson for NHS Dorset CCG said “The healthcare system is currently seeing unprecedented demand as restrictions ease and we return to normal life, whilst at the same time coping with the Covid-19 pandemic and delivering a very successful vaccination programme.
“When it comes to getting the right care there are lots of choices and we know it can be confusing, at the same time, we all need to access NHS services wisely.
“Your local pharmacy will help with self care and managing some conditions.”
For more visit swast.nhs.uk
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