Record number of calls to London Ambulance Service

London Ambulance Service responded to 642 category one calls on Wednesday – the highest number of life-threatening emergencies in its history.

Category one calls include the most serious, life-threatening injuries and illnesses such as cardiac arrests and patients who are not breathing.

Chief executive Jason Killens KAM said: “We have seen the highest number of life-threatening emergencies in our history, driven by the extreme heat across London.

“Our crews are working very hard in challenging conditions to care for patients and I would like to take this opportunity to thank all our people for their incredible hard work.

“Please help them to help you by taking care of yourself and others – stay out of the sun and keep hydrated.”

It was the fifth busiest day in the service’s history, with 7,900 calls in total and ambulance crews responding to nearly 3,600 patients in a single day.

The history making number comes on a day when records for temperature were also broken

A new record high was set for June for the second day in a row as the UK swelters in a punishing heatwave.

The Met Office said temperatures had reached 36.4C at Yeovilton, Somerset, on Thursday afternoon, provisionally making it the UK’s hottest June day on record.

This was then surpassed when provisional temperatures reached 36.7C in Merryfield, Somerset.

The new high surpasses both the previous record set on Wednesday, when temperatures reached 36.1C in Gosport, Hampshire, and the long-standing record for June heat which dates back to the infamous summer of 1976.

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