Covid: North West Ambulance Service 'asks Army for help'

North West Ambulance Service has faced mounting pressure during the pandemic

The Army has been asked to help an ambulance service cope with a surge in 999 call-outs and soaring staff absence, a union has said.

North West Ambulance Service has faced mounting demand in the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic, declaring a major incident as far back as November.

Unison branch secretary Jeff Gorman said patients were "waiting longer than they should be for an ambulance".

The move comes after NWAS admitted to being under "extreme pressure".

If approved, it would be the first time the military has been called to assist the service outside strike action.

NWAS and the Ministry of Defence have been approached for a comment.

'Extra strain'

Mr Gorman said Unision had been "in talks with the management team in NWAS for a few weeks agreeing ways to maximise the number of ambulances available to respond to 999 calls".

"Despite our combined efforts, we share the view that patients are waiting longer than they should be for the ambulance to arrive," he said.

He said there had been a 5-6% increase in calls which was "putting extra strain on our ability to provide the service that the public of the North West should be getting".

"That additional pressure has a direct impact upon our members who are already working harder than ever and this results in additional stress and fatigue," he added.

Mr Gorman said he believed the military personnel would be used "to support our urgent care service dealing with lower category calls".

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Earlier this week NWAS said it had escalated its REAP level - used for the levels of activity at ambulance stations - to the highest level four which means they are under "extreme pressure".

Speaking on Monday, NWAS's director of operations Ged Blezard said it was "due to the extremely high levels of activity in the North West region, the pressure on local hospitals and the trust operating while some of its workforce are isolating or shielding".

The service also declared a major incident due to a high level of 999 calls on 2 November, but this was stood down later the same day.

The Army has already been called in to assist other ambulance trusts across the country, including South East Coast Ambulance Service which covers Kent.