Monday 2nd November 2015 – 6.00am – Murray MacGregor.
There was no time for trick or treating for ambulance staff on Saturday night into Sunday morning after they had a ‘scarily’ busy Halloween.
With call numbers over 25% up on the previous weekend, the additional crews that had been put on shift were kept more than busy answering 999 calls.
Call numbers were above what would have been expected every single hour from 8.00pm through to 5.00am, except for one, 1.00am – 2.00am, where they were about what you would have expected.
For the period 8.00pm – 5.00am:
• Saturday 31st October – Sunday 1st November = 1,439 calls
• Saturday 24th October – Sunday 25th October = 1,143 calls
Here is a breakdown of the actual calls on Halloween against what might have been expected for a normal Saturday night into Sunday morning period:
Hour Actual Call Numbers Normal Call Numbers
8.00pm – 9.00pm 173 140
9.00pm – 10.00pm 182 136
10.00pm – 11.00pm 168 125
11.00pm – 12.00am 191 110
12.00am – 1.00am 171 130
1.00am – 2.00am 152 155
2.00am – 3.00am 162 125
3.00am – 4.00am 142 90
4.00am – 5.00am 98 70
Emergency Services Director, Craig Cooke, said: “We knew this was likely to be a very busy time for us so we put considerably more ambulances on duty than we would normally have done, but it was still extremely busy for our staff.
“Our staff had to deal with a number of very serious incidents during this period, but did so with care, compassion and tremendous skill.
“I’d also pay tribute to the way they use their skills to ensure patients get the most appropriate treatment for their condition. This ensures only those that need to go to hospital do so, thus reducing pressure on other parts of the heath service.
Trust Chief Executive, Anthony Marsh, added: “I’d like to thank all of the staff and volunteers who have worked this weekend for their very considerable efforts dealing with such a large number of 999 calls.
“It is only by everyone pulling together that we have been able to provide the best care possible despite being one of the busiest nights of the year.”
Ends
