Calls to ambulance service up more than 15 per cent over New Year
It proved to be a busy start to the year as call handlers for West Midlands Ambulance Service dealt with a rise of more than 15 per cent in calls over the busy New Year period.
From 6pm on New Year's Eve until 6am on New Year's Day, call assessors in Stafford and Brierley Hill took no fewer than 2,776 calls from the region – up from 2,461 the previous year.
Over the two days, the trust took a total of 10,481 calls, up from 9,055 – a rise of almost 16 per cent on the previous year.
Ambulance bosses have thanked staff for their hard work in the face of rising demand.
West Midlands Ambulance Service chief executive Anthony Marsh said: “A massive thank you to the hundreds of staff and volunteers who worked over this period, many giving up time with their family and friends to work additional shifts.
“It’s not just those on the road, but also the team in our control rooms and also the staff who support these colleagues in areas such as vehicle preparation, mechanics, stores, distribution and IT; it is a real team effort.
“I would also like to thank the public for heeding the requests to use services such as 111 online – 111.nhs.uk, speaking to a pharmacist or their GP.
"Doing so allows us to get to the most seriously ill and injured as quickly as possible.”
It comes after call handlers also had a busy Christmas bank holiday.
Over the three days between Christmas Eve and Boxing Day, the trust said it took 13,274 emergency calls.
It was slightly down on the same period in 2022 when 13,606 calls were taken, but ambulance bosses said it was still extremely busy.
