London Ambulance Service records busiest week on record as heatwave drives surge in emergency calls
London Ambulance Service says it experienced the busiest week in its history during last week’s heatwave, receiving more emergency 999 calls and treating more patients than during the peak period before the first Covid-19 lockdown.
Across the week from Monday 22 June to Sunday 28 June, the service answered 53,342 emergency calls, exceeding the previous high of 52,367 calls recorded in the week leading up to 23 March 2020. It also attended 24,607 patients, compared with 21,757 during the equivalent week before the first lockdown, an increase of around 13%.
The service also recorded its busiest week for Category 1 incidents, which include life-threatening emergencies such as cardiac arrests and patients who have stopped breathing. A total of 4,181 Category 1 incidents were attended, up from 2,442 in the comparable week before the first Covid lockdown, an increase of more than 71%.
Demand reached its highest point at the end of the week. Friday became the busiest day in London Ambulance Service’s history with 8,909 emergency calls, while Saturday followed with 8,482 calls, making it the second busiest day ever recorded.
Alongside frontline ambulance responses, the service managed around 30% of Friday’s 999 calls through its Hear and Treat service, allowing some callers to receive care without an ambulance being dispatched. NHS 111 services also experienced activity around 10% above an average week.
To help meet demand, London Ambulance Service introduced nearly 600 additional staff shifts and worked with hospitals across the capital to improve ambulance handovers, helping crews return to emergency calls more quickly.
Chief Executive Jason Killens thanked staff for responding to the highest demand the organisation has experienced, praising teams across the service for helping keep Londoners safe during an exceptionally busy week.
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