Call to support your NHS during busy festive time
With the busy Christmas and New Year period just around the corner, and the arrival of colder winter weather likely to lead to an increase in certain calls, the public is being asked to do all it can to support the ambulance service and wider NHS.
Throughout December, South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust – SECAMB – is expecting to handle in the region of 90,000 999 calls and attend approximately 40,000 Category
1 and Category 2 999 calls – the two highest categories of call for its most seriously ill or injured patients.
In excess of 10,000 calls are expected to be triaged as Category 3 calls to which ambulance service aim to respond to in under two hours, although this is likely to be longer at peak periods as resources are targeted towards higher category calls.
Other callers will speak to a clinician over the phone and be provided with advice and, if required, a referral to a more appropriate service for their needs.
SECAMB’S NHS 111 service is also anticipating a busy period with calls expected to range from up to 3,500 calls a day during the week to up to 5,000 calls a day at weekends. Calls to its service are expected to increase to as high as 8,000 at peak days over Christmas and New Year.
People are asked to only dial 999 in an emergency and to make use of alternatives if it’s not an emergency including using NHS 111 Online for help and advice at www.111. nhs.uk. People are reminded to speak to their GP or a pharmacist for advice and to familiarise themselves with pharmacy, walk-in centre and urgent treatment centre opening times at www.nhs.uk