People needing an ambulance have been told they should make their own way to hospital if they can as the East of England Ambulance Service (EEAST) announced it has moved to the highest escalation alert level in response to high demand across the region this week.
The move to operate at Resource Escalation Action Plan (REAP) Level 4 comes after a sustained high volume of calls, a significant and sustained number of patients waiting to be handed over at hospitals, and in response to anticipated increased demand due to cold weather and upcoming New Year’s Eve celebrations. The decision is in line with many other ambulance services across the country.
EEAST, which serves Hertfordshire as well as Norfolk, Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Essex, and Suffolk, says calls have 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, meaning some patients will face a long wait for an ambulance should they not be able to get to hospital themselves.
Moving to this level means the Trust can ensure all clinicians are available to respond to calls, and deploy clinicians with non-clinical drivers to get as many vehicles out to see patients as possible.
EEAST medical director Simon Walsh 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.”
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