Party responsibly this Christmas, says South Central ambulance service
Bosses want us to avoid adding extra pressure to services
Christmas revellers in the South are being urged by ambulance bosses to party responsibly, to avoid adding extra pressure on their services.
South Central Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (SCAS), which covers Hampshire, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire, has issued the plea to enable it to focus on emergency patients.
A spokesman said:
"SCAS, and the wider NHS, is currently facing significant pressure and anything members of the public can do to help prevent avoidable emergencies will make a real difference to demand on the 999 service.
"By reducing such calls, SCAS will be able to respond more quickly to patients with life-threatening emergencies, such as cardiac arrests, strokes and heart attacks."
Mark Ainsworth, director of operations at SCAS, said:
"The last few weeks have been extremely busy for our staff and we really need the public's help this weekend.
"We know that the weekend before Christmas is the time people let their hair down and party the night away.
"While we're not discouraging awful dance moves or questionable Christmas jumper choices, if you drink yourself into unconsciousness this can lead to an entirely avoidable emergency ambulance call-out.
"Every ambulance sent to someone who has drunk too much and needs medical assistance means we might not have a crew immediately available for someone who is critically ill or injured."