Dorset's ambulance service stands down critical incident

The South Western trust say they still remain under "significant pressure"

Author: Sophie SquiresPublished 3rd Jan 2023

The ambulance service which covers Dorset has stood down their critical incident, which has been in place since last Wednesday (December 28th).

The South Western Ambulance Service Foundation Trust (SWASFT) it follows a review of key criteria, including the number of patients waiting for an ambulance.

However, he says that they still remain under "significant pressure" and is urging people to continue to use 999 appropriately.

Strategic Commander Rich Marlow said:

"Following a review of key criteria, including the number of patients waiting for an ambulance, the command structure at SWASFT has taken the decision to stand down the Critical Incident which has been in place since Wednesday 28 December.

"Whilst this is positive news I cannot stress enough that the service still remains under significant pressure and it is therefore crucial that we maintain our focus over the coming days and weeks to prevent further pressure on the service.

"I would like to thank the public for taking on board the need to only call 999 in life-threatening or serious emergencies requiring our immediate assistance over the New Year period.

"To ensure that our control rooms teams and emergency responders can continue to respond to patients where there is a life or death emergency, I would urge everyone to continue using 999 appropriately as many people have done over the weekend."

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