East Midlands Ambulance Service incident stood down after record demand
Paramedics said they saw a significant increase in demand for emergency care
East Midlands Ambulance Service (EMAS) has announced the end of a business continuity incident declared earlier this week due to sustained pressure and unprecedented demand for emergency services.
On 26th May, the service received over 4,500 emergency calls, marking one of its busiest days outside of the winter months.
Although the incident has been stood down as of 1pm today (28th May), EMAS recognises the continued pressures faced over the past week.
Efforts now shift to recovery, aiming to enhance response times and reduce patient wait times, while prioritising the most severe and life-threatening cases.
Senior oversight and coordination will be maintained to support these efforts in the coming weeks.
EMAS has expressed gratitude to its staff and volunteers for their unwavering commitment during this challenging period and acknowledged the support of NHS partners despite enduring significant pressures themselves.
The public is asked to continue supporting EMAS during this period. They said emergency calls to 999 should be reserved for life-threatening situations only.
For non-life-threatening conditions, the public is encouraged to use other NHS resources like:
- NHS 111
- Local pharmacies
- Urgent Treatment Centres
- GPs
They said choosing the appropriate service ensures that ambulances are available for those in critical need.