Check on elderly during heatwave, ambulance service warns

South advised people not to go out during peak temperatures and to keep curtains closed, use fans and stay hydrated.

He said SWAFST had received about 4,000 calls during the last heatwave with dehydration in older people having been “a really common call”.

“If you look at those 4,000 calls, around 700 every day were linked to patients that were 70 or over and so we can really focus on that age group this time,” he continued.

“We want to send our ambulances to people that desperately need an ambulance, not to someone that’s just not been drinking enough fluid for a couple of days and has ended up being poorly as a result.”

South said the team had plans in place for such peaks of demand which included maximising the number of patients who could be helped by telephone and making sure the maximum number of ambulances were available.

“In the last heatwave … we all dropped the day job that we were doing and we were all out and about seeing patients trying to make a difference, because an extra 700 calls is a lot to deal with each day,” he added.

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