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04

Jul 2021

Last Updated: 04/07/2021
Health
Health

'Critically busy' Yorkshire Ambulance Service: 'Only call in emergencies'

by John Plummer

| 04 Jul, 2021
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The organisation says 'extremely high demand' is having a 'severe impact on our operations'. It urges people only to call in life-threatening situations and to consider making their own way to emergency departments.

emergency-ambulance-service-999-header-cropped
Photograph: Yorkshire Ambulance Service

Yorkshire Ambulance Service said today it was critically busy and urged people only to call in the most serious circumstances.

Nick Smith, executive director of operations at Yorkshire Ambulance Service, said in a series of tweets:

"We are currently experiencing extremely high demand and this is having a severe impact on our operations. We are implementing a number of actions in order to protect our core services for patients and respond to the ongoing demand.
"We are asking members of the public to only call us in a serious or life-threatening emergency to help us focus our efforts on our most poorly patients."
"Our dedicated staff are working extremely hard to reach patients as quickly and safely as possible."




Elliott Carter, a 999 emergency medical dispatcher in the emergency operations centre for Yorkshire Ambulance Service, asked people to consider making their own way to emergency departments.

https://twitter.com/YAS_ElliottC/status/1411682757915385862

Yorkshire Ambulance Service tweeted that it was "extremely busy this afternoon" and added the NHS Health A to Z was a good resource for information and advice on health conditions and how to get help.

It asked people to "use our services wisely", adding.

"Emergency ambulances are for life-threatening and serious incidents only. For urgent medical advice, please use NHS 111 Online at 111.nhs.uk."