South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (SECAmb)
would like to thank its staff and volunteers for their commitment
and hard work over what was, as ever, a busy New Year’s Eve.
The Trust would also like to thank the public for its support
and messages of appreciation across the whole festive and New Year
period.
While the peak period of the night, (midnight-1am) saw the Trust
handle slightly fewer calls than previous years with 155 calls,
overall in the seven hours from 8pm on New Year’s Eve to 3am on New
Year’s Day it dealt with more than 900 calls – 61 more calls than
last year.
Demand is expected to remain high today, (January 1), and
throughout the first weekend of the year. People are urged to
continue to make use of the NHS 111 service and only call 999 in
the event of a life-threatening or serious emergency.
SECAmb Chief Executive Philip Astle said: “I’d like to thank
every single member of staff and volunteer for their hard work over
the last few weeks. We’ve seen some very busy days, especially in
the week leading up to Christmas and, as ever, everyone has risen
to the challenge to ensure the demand met.
“Working for the ambulance service is never easy but spending
time away from family and loved ones when others are celebrating
can make it even tougher. Throughout SECAmb there are examples of
staff and volunteers who have gone the extra mile to make working
at this time of year easier for everyone.
“I’d also like to thank members of the public for their
continued support. In the middle of winter, we know that we are
going to have some very busy days ahead and the support and
understanding of the public is very much appreciated.”