Following a difficult few days and a period of sustained and significant demand, South East Coast Ambulance Service declared a critical incident at 22:40 on Thursday, 27 June.
At the point of declaration there were a significant number of outstanding calls waiting for an ambulance response, including a number of higher acuity incidents.
This follows one of the busiest days we have seen this year, alongside ongoing pressure across the wider health and care system and additional demand linked to the current hot weather.
Strategic Commander, James Pavey, said:
“By declaring a critical incident, it allows our teams to focus our efforts on those patients who need us most. We are therefore focusing our resources on life‑threatening emergencies.
“People contacting us with less serious conditions are likely to experience longer waits. In some cases, patients may be clinically assessed and advised to seek alternative care, rather than an ambulance being dispatched.
“We are asking the public to support us during this time by only calling 999 in a life‑threatening emergency.”
If you need medical help but it is not an emergency, please consider using NHS 111 online or by phone, or seeking help from a GP, pharmacist or urgent treatment centre.
While the heat is expected to dissipate in the next few days, we expect demand to remain high and will continue to put in place all possible measures to ensure we return to a normal service as quickly as possible.
In the meantime, while temperatures remain high, we continue to urge people to take steps to stay well, including keeping hydrated, avoiding the hottest parts of the day and checking on vulnerable friends, family members and neighbours.
We would like to thank the public for their understanding and our staff for their continued dedication in very challenging circumstances.