East Midlands Ambulance Service declares critical incident in heat

EMAS said it had already escalated to Resource Escalation Action Plan (REAP) Level 4 on Monday, which indicated a “risk of service failure unless immediate action is taken”.

The ambulance service said the critical incident followed a period of sustained pressure on all ambulance services across the country.

It said it was working with hospitals to support the timely handover of patients, so ambulance crews could respond to 999 calls and work with healthcare providers to direct patients who were not in life-threatening emergencies to the most appropriate care.

In a statement, EMAS said: “Like many across the NHS, EMAS colleagues have been working tirelessly to respond to patient need.

“Therefore, a critical incident has been declared to secure additional support and help reduce the risk of avoidable patient harm.”

EMAS urged the public to assist by taking regular medication to manage long-term conditions, and to seek alternative care when an illness or injury is not immediately life-threatening.

The service added: “Given the additional weather-related pressures being responded to, please act responsibly and do not take unnecessary risks.”