Ambulance service stands down critical incident

East Midlands Ambulance Service said pressures on the service remained high but the critical incident had been stood down

East Midlands Ambulance Service (EMAS) has formally stood down its first ever critical incident, which was announced partly due to widespread flooding.

The organisation declared the incident on Monday evening as severe flooding hit the region.

More than 500 emergencies were waiting for a response from the ambulance service at the time of the announcement.

On Wednesday, deputy chief executive Will Legge thanked staff for their "incredible hard work" but stressed the NHS across the region remained "fragile".

EMAS covers Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Rutland, Northamptonshire and Lincolnshire.

While EMAS is no longer in critical incident status, its resource escalation action plan is still at level 4 - the highest level - which indicates a potential for failures in the service.

The service has been at level 4 since November, but "declaring a critical incident was unprecedented action for EMAS", Mr Legge said.

Flooding has caused widespread disruption across Leicestershire and other parts of the East Midlands region

Mr Legge added: "The NHS across our region is fragile. This first week in January is historically one of the busiest for the NHS.

"This year, flu, Covid-19, RSV (respiratory syncytial virus) and norovirus, are adding additional pressure for all services.

"The immediate actions that hospitals, partner agencies, and integrated care systems took, and the incredible hard work of our staff and volunteers, means that the number of patients awaiting an ambulance response has significantly reduced."

Cars submerged in flood water in Bottesford, Leicestershire

Meanwhile, the aftermath of flooding is still impacting much of the region.

Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland were particularly badly hit, with a major incident declared and dozens of people rescued from flood water.

On Tuesday, the Environment Agency said it had reports of 500 properties being internally flooded in Leicester and Leicestershire.