WEDNESDAY BUSIEST DAY SINCE NEW YEAR, SAY 999 STAFF
THE Welsh Ambulance Service has revealed that it has just recorded its busiest 24 hours since New Year’s Day.
The NHS trust said it dealt with 1,495 incidents across Wales on Wednesday – its second most eventful day of the year.
It was only second to January 1, 2020, when the service had to deal with 1,593 incidents in total.
The spell of hot weather, which saw temperatures reach well above 30C (86C) in Wales, was partly to blame for the spike in calls.
Lee Brooks, the trust’s director of operations, said yesterday: “Contrary to popular belief, demand on our ambulance service actually fell during the Covid-19 pandemic, but it’s fair to say that normal business has resumed with regards to demand. Yesterday was our busiest day of 2020 so far after New Year’s Day, and the hot weather no doubt played a part in that.
“In high temperatures, more people call 999 with breathing difficulties and chest pain or because they feel faint and dizzy, but it can also make people’s pre-existing conditions, like asthma or hay fever, worse. The sunshine also draws a large crowd to our beaches and rivers, where accidents and mishaps in the water can occur.
“Through all of this, our crews show up and deliver the best possible care for those who need us, often in full PPE.
”Our plea today and every day is to use 999 responsibly so that we can be there for those who need us most.”
A HEAD TEACHER has branded yesterday’s A- and AS-level results moderation “arbitrary and unfair” in an angry and heartfelt message to parents.
Justin O’Sullivan, head teacher at Cardinal Newman Roman Catholic Comprehensive in Pontypridd, is sending out an appeals sheet for parents to complain directly to local MPs and MS.
He said he will also lodge a complaint about the way grades have been arrived at this year after exams were cancelled because of Covid-19.
In a message to parents on the school website Mr O’Sullivan said: “I am very sorry if you or your child has been failed by our education system in this round of examination results. I will be working to try to resolve the situation the best I can.”
Head teachers have been warning that the method arrived at to award grades after exams were cancelled would disadvantage students, especially higher achievers in lowerachieving schools.
A teacher at a different school also told the Western Mail AS grades often served to push teenagers on to do better and weren’t a good guide to A2 grades.
He said: “I’m a teacher. I came back from the school this morning, having discovered that the grades I’d predicted for my pupils had been moderated downwards by two whole grades – for each pupil.
“They basically got what they’d achieved in Year 12. I appreciate that there has to be a moderation process. I understand that Year 12 results should be considered and that historic centre performance should be considered. That’s all perfectly sensible.
“However, all of us in education are pretty aware that Year 12 often serves as a kick up the backside and that students often resit units and improve in Year 13. That was very much the case for my students. To find that the grades I’ve given have been downgraded to such an extent is a real kick in the teeth for the kids because it doesn’t reflect their progress.”