After one of the busiest Christmas periods ever, there was no let up for West Midlands Ambulance Service who experienced their busiest ever New Year’s Eve.

The whole 12-hour period was busy and saw the Trust take 1,281 calls between 6pm and midnight. The previous busiest year for this period was 2017-18 when the Trust took 1,066 calls After midnight, the Trust took 1,721 calls, which was the busiest since 2007-08 when it took 1,570 calls. Trust Chief Executive, Anthony Marsh, said:

“I would once again pay tribute to the astonishing efforts of our staff who continue to work so incredibly hard.  Thousands of our staff were working while much of the UK was celebrating the start of a new year.

“Again, the staff in our control rooms were particularly busy.  They are the front door to our service and play a vital role in triaging the calls that come in. Given what an important role they play, it is disappointing that so many of them reported being abused over the phone by callers.  

"All they are trying to do is find out as much detail about the patient as possible; it doesn’t delay the arrival of an ambulance – it just means the crew are better prepared for the situation they respond to.

“As we move into what is traditionally, the busiest period the year for the NHS, it is more important than ever that we all play our part in using the health service responsibly. 

“I would ask everyone to consider using 111 online in the first instance unless it is a life-threatening emergency.  We will continue to prioritise patients so that we get to those in most need first.

“I would also urge everyone who has not yet had their booster jab to get it as soon as possible.  Doing so is the best way of avoiding catching corona virus, and by doing so, you will be reducing the pressures on the NHS.”