Small increase to Guernsey emergency service demand in 2023

The service saw its busiest day in May when crews responded to 36 cases in 24 hours

The Guernsey Ambulance and Rescue Service responded to more than 6,800 emergency cases in 2023, it has said.

The service said there had been a 3% increase since 2022 and 6% of calls in 2023 were immediately life-threatening.

Its busiest month was December, with 637 emergency cases attended, and its busiest day was in May when crews responded to 36 cases in 24 hours.

Head of operations Dean de la Mare said although numbers were up, demand was "very similar to the previous year".

"The figures demonstrate that demand is not constant, it can change from day to day, or even hour to hour," he said,

"There were occasions when we experienced short periods of exceptional demand, with all of the ambulance crews committed.

"We have contingency plans for these circumstances with additional off-duty staff called back to work and senior officers deployed to maintain cover for emergency cases."

During Storm Ciarán, the service said it experienced its quietest day of the year with four calls in 24 hours.

In 2023, the service also took over responsibility for ambulance services in Alderney, and supported Sark with paramedic cover when the island doctor was on leave.