Ambulance staff and volunteers thanked after eight per cent increase in bank holiday calls

The East of England Ambulance Service received just over 9,000 emergency calls during the three day May Day Bank Holiday – eight per cent more than last year.

Suffolk and Bedfordshire experienced the highest percentage increase in demand at 17 per cent and 16 per cent respectively. Saturday was the busiest day of the weekend with more than 3,100 calls.

This comes after a 17 per cent increase in demand during the Easter Bank Holiday weekend.

Sandy Brown, the service’s deputy chief executive, said: “We continue to experience high levels of demand and the bank holiday weekend was another busy one for the trust. However, we were prepared and coped well, despite the demands being placed on the service.

“This is testament to the hard work and commitment of all our staff and volunteers across the East of England.”

County breakdown of calls during the May Day Bank Holiday (compared with last year)

Bedfordshire: 938 (803) – 16%

Cambridgeshire: 1,185 (1,129) – 5%

Essex: 2,772 (2,658) – 4%

Herts: 1,559 (1,447) – 7%

Norfolk: 1,400 (1,330) – 5%

Suffolk: 1,182 (1,006) – 17%

The trust’s ‘It’s your call’ campaign helps inform people and educate others on how 999 calls are handled and prioritised so that in the event of a medical problem, they feel better equipped to know what to do. For more information, visit http://www.eastamb.nhs.uk/News-and-Media/Campaigns/its-your-call.htm.