East of England Ambulance Service warns of 999 call delays

The East of England Ambulance Service has put appeals on social for 999 callers not to hang up

An NHS ambulance service boss has urged 999 callers to not hang up as "there may be a delay before we pick up".

The East of England Ambulance Service (EEAS) said demands on the health service meant it was extremely busy.

Marcus Bailey, EEAS chief operating officer, said delays were due to a "combination" of Covid, winter pressures and recruitment.

He said the service planned to recruit 100 call-handlers over the next few months to help ease pressure.

Marcus Bailey, East of England Ambulance Service chief operating officer, said the service was very busy

The EEAS has published posters online telling emergency callers to be patient.

The service covers Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Norfolk and Suffolk.

Mr Bailey told BBC Look East: "It's about us warning people who are phoning 999 that it's really busy and at some points there may be a delay before we pick up the 999 call.

"Remain on the line, don't hang up, and we will get to you as soon as possible."

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He said the service was "having to prioritise those really life-threatening [cases]... our priority is always to respond to those most in need".

Mr Bailey said the delays at hospitals were due to Covid-19, seasonal illness and the backlog of operations due to the pandemic, which "does at times cause difficulties for us to respond to patients".

Last month, a patient suffered a fatal heart attack in the back of an ambulance after it queued for more than two hours outside a Norfolk hospital.

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