IT PROVED a busy start to 2024 for West Midlands Ambulance Service with a near 13 per cent increase in call numbers compared to last year.
From 6pm on New Year’s Eve until 6am on New Year’s Day, call assessors in Stafford and Brierly Hill took no fewer than 2,776 calls from the West Midlands, up from 2,461 the previous year.
And over the whole two days – Sunday (December 31) and Monday (January 1) – the Trust took a total of 10,481 calls, up from 9,055, an almost 16 per cent increase on the previous year.
West Midlands Ambulance Service chief executive Anthony Marsh said:
“A massive thank you to the hundreds of staff and volunteers who worked over this period, many giving up time with their family and friends to work additional shifts.
“It’s not just those on the road, but also the team in our control rooms and also the staff who support these colleagues in areas such as vehicle preparation, mechanics, stores, distribution and IT; it is a real team effort.
“I would also like to thank the public for heeding the requests to use services such as 111 online (www.111.nhs.uk), speaking to a pharmacist or their GP.
“Doing so allows us to get to the most seriously ill and injured as quickly as possible.”
