South East Coast Ambulance Service Trust declares Critical Incident as pressure on services continues

South East Coast Ambulance Service (SECAmb) have taken the decision to declare a Critical Incident following increased pressure on the service.

In a statement a spokesperson for SECAmb said: “This decision was taken following a period of more than a week of sustained pressure across both our 999 and 111 services which has significantly impacted on our ability to respond to patients.

“We would like to thank all our staff and volunteers for their hard work in recent days in what continue to be extremely challenging circumstances.

“We urge the public to continue to call 999 in life-threatening emergencies as we prioritise our response to our most seriously ill and injured patients.

“People can support us by seeking help and advice from alternatives including via NHS 111 Online at 111.nhs.uk, their own GP or by speaking to a pharmacist.

“Declaring a Critical Incident provides us with additional oversight and enables us to explore options including mutual aid, while focusing all efforts on frontline patient care.”