East of England Ambulance Service moves to highest escalation alert level due to a ‘huge spike in demand’

The region’s ambulance service has moved to the highest escalation alert level due to a ‘huge spike in demand’.

The East of England Ambulance Service (EEAST) said the shift to Resource Escalation Action Plan Level 4 follows a sustained high volume of calls, a significant number of patients waiting to be handed over at hospitals and in response to anticipated increased demand due to the cold weather.

It said calls had risen to an unprecedented level, with increased pressure at hospitals leading to longer waiting times for ambulances to handover patients.

The huge pressure means clinicians must prioritise those most in need and some patients will face a long wait for an ambulance and should make their own way to the hospital if they can, it said.

Moving to this level means the ambulance trust can take various actions, including ensuring all clinicians are available to respond to calls and deploying clinicians with non-clinical drivers to get as many vehicles out to see patients as possible.

Simon Walsh, EEAST medical director, said: “There is an outstanding level of pressure on the whole health system in the East of England.

“We have seen a huge spike in demand, driven by an increase in respiratory illness, which means many of our hospitals are at capacity and our ambulance crews are stretched to the limit.

“What I urge the public to do is to think very carefully about using 999.

“If you have a medical emergency and need us, we will get to you, but there may be a delay. Many patients will be treated more quickly if they see their GP, use 111, or take themselves to hospital. Arriving at a hospital by ambulance won’t mean you’ll be seen any more quickly.

“During periods of high demand for our services patients with urgent and immediately life-threatening conditions are our priority. Those with less serious conditions will be advised that there may be a delayed response or, if it is safe to do so, they should seek alternative care. We apologise in advance to anyone experiencing delays.”