South Western Ambulance 'really busy' as pressure continues

People should only call 999 for an ambulance in "genuine life-threatening emergencies", health bosses said

The South Western Ambulance Service is still "really busy" after declaring a critical incident due to "extreme pressures".

It tweeted that the incident was declared after it received 3,200 calls on Saturday, a 2021 record, and expected similar numbers on Sunday.

By Monday morning the service said it was still "really busy at the moment".

It asked people to only call 999 in an emergency, and call 111 or their GP for health advice.

Patients should contact a pharmacy for medication advice, it added.

As part of efforts to deal with the increased pressures, the Tiverton Urgent Care Centre in Devon, which the trust operates, remained open until midnight on Sunday night, instead of closing at its usual time of 20:00 BST.

On Thursday, the service said the number of incidents it dealt with per day had risen to 2,913 in the previous week, from 2,627 before the easing of lockdown restrictions on 17 May.

It said people should only call 999 for an ambulance in "genuine life-threatening emergencies", for example if someone had stopped breathing, had fallen unconscious or had serious bleeding.

People with non-life threatening but urgent problems, such as broken bones, sprains or burns, should contact NHS 111, it said.

Health bosses extended opening hours at Tiverton's Urgent Care Centre to help deal with pressures on the service

It also advised people going out during the bank holiday weekend to be prepared and take pain-relief medication or a first aid kit with them.

The trust provides ambulance and other medical services for: Bath & North East Somerset, Bristol, Cornwall & the Isles of Scilly, Devon, Dorset, Gloucestershire, Wiltshire, Somerset, South Gloucestershire and Swindon.