Ambulance service stretched to limit

Nov 13 2005 By James Cartledge

PARAMEDICS were stretched to the limit dealing with a torrent of life-or-death 999 calls as demand hit levels normally only seen at Christmas.

Staffordshire Ambulance Service dealt with more than 700 calls in a 24-hour period.

And the calls showed no sign of decreasing as the service recorded its busiest October and November on record.

Officials revealed staff dealt with 714 alerts last Monday alone, but could not say why call levels suddenly went through the roof.

Senior paramedic officer Adrian Gibson said qualified lifesavers who usually performed desk jobs were pushed into service to ensure no emergency call went unanswered.

"This sustained level of demand has previously only been seen during the Christmas and New Year period," he said.

"We used all our reserves, with paramedic officers and managers deployed to crew emergency vehicles. "We always put the patient first. Routine managerial duties are suspended as and when necessary.

"For this ambulance service it appears Christmas has started early."

Ambulance service chiefs have been in talks with hospital bosses to make sure paramedics can drop off patients and get back on the road as quickly as possible.

Last Christmas, ambulance trust boss Roger Thayne and other senior managers went on duty as paramedics battled a 25 per cent surge in calls. An increase in calls led to staff handling more than 1,200 emergencies in 48 hours.