The searing heatwave gripping London has pushed the city's emergency services to breaking point. Last Friday saw the London Ambulance Service (LAS) face an unprecedented surge in demand, with a record-breaking 8,869 emergency calls flooding in within a single 24-hour period.
Call handlers were working at pace, responding to over 500 calls per hour between 6pm and midnight – a daunting task that pushed the service to its limits. To mitigate this intense pressure, the LAS declared a critical incident from 10pm on Friday until 1:30am on Saturday, introducing additional measures to safeguard patient safety.
These included treating more patients over the phone, directing individuals to alternative NHS services when necessary, and intensifying collaboration with London hospitals to expedite ambulance handovers. The goal was to get crews back on the road as quickly as possible.
The extreme heat – confirmed by the Met Office as the UK's hottest June day ever recorded, with a provisional temperature of 37.3C in Santon Downham, Suffolk – was a significant contributing factor. A direct correlation existed between the successive daily heat records broken on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, and the LAS's record-breaking call volumes during this period.
Among these thousands of calls, a concerning 688 were classified as Category 1 emergencies – the most critical incidents, such as cardiac arrests or patients struggling to breathe. This marked the highest number of Category 1 dispatches ever recorded by the LAS in a single day, highlighting the severity and urgency of the situations faced.
Craig Harman, Chief Operating Officer at London Ambulance Service, praised the dedication of staff and volunteers who worked tirelessly through this challenging period. He acknowledged that despite deploying over 400 additional ambulance crews and increasing staffing across 999 and 111 control rooms, demand remained exceptionally high. Although the critical incident has been stood down, the service remains very busy, urging the public to stay hydrated, drink responsibly, and look after one another during the heatwave.
As we navigate this period of extreme weather, it's essential to remember that emergency services are under immense pressure. Patients with non-life-threatening conditions should consider alternatives to 999, such as NHS 111 online or a local pharmacy, to ensure ambulances are available for those in urgent need. For serious medical emergencies, always call 999.