Ambulance staff in West Yorkshire under immense pressure due to high demand

Yorkshire Ambulance Service is currently facing the same levels of patient demand that it would expect to see at the height of winter.

Author: May Norman & Hannah NorburyPublished 9th Jul 2021
Last updated 9th Jul 2021

Yorkshire Ambulance Service is urging people in West Yorkshire to only contact them in serious or life-threatening emergencies.

It's as the trust is warning that demand has been increasing this Summer following the easing of Covid rules.

Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust has experienced increased demand for its accident and emergency service and NHS 111, with the COVID-19 pandemic and the easing of lockdown measures having a particular impact on its services.

The Trust is currently facing the same levels of patient demand that it would expect to see at the height of winter, alongside an increase in staff sickness and isolation due to increasing rates of COVID-19 infection in the region.

Last weekend, the service was under extreme pressure as it handled an increasingly high volume of calls. Many of its ambulance crews and call handlers took to Twitter to express the seriousness of the situation:

Nick Smith, Executive Director of Operations at Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust, said:

“We have been experiencing periods of extremely high demand, particularly during the last few weekends and this has had a significant impact on our operations.

“These pressures are not unique to the ambulance service and the NHS across the region is experiencing considerable pressure on its services.

“We are managing these challenges using tried and tested plans we have in place to protect our core services for patients. We have continued to respond to those in need as swiftly as possible, but acknowledge that some patients are having to wait longer than we would like them to. All emergency calls are categorised according to the nature of a patient’s illness or injury and those in a life-threatening condition are always prioritised.

“Our dedicated and caring staff are doing a fantastic job and continue to work extremely hard to respond to patients as quickly and safely as possible.

“We continue to ask members of the public to only call for an ambulance when someone is in a serious or life-threatening emergency to help us focus our efforts on our most poorly patients.

But what to do if you need help?

Yorkshire Ambulance Service says if someone is seriously ill or injured and their life is at risk, they should call 999 immediately.

For anyone with less serious illnesses and injuries, they should consider self-care, their local pharmacy, their GP surgery, urgent care centre or make their own way to the emergency department. Our NHS 111 service is also available online at 111.nhs.uk or by calling 111.

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