THE Ambulance service has declared a ‘critical incident’ due to the extreme pressures placed on its paramedics.

Yesterday, Sunday, the South Western Ambulance Service and NHS Foundation Trust tweeted that some patients may need to wait longer for an ambulance while others might need to seek help with alternative services.

Patients are urged to only dial 999 if they’re in a life-threatening emergency.

The statement on Twitter urged people to ‘make the right call’.

A spokesman for South Western Ambulance Service said: ‘We have declared a critical incident due to extreme pressures on our service.

‘As a result, some patients may wait longer for an ambulance while others could be advised to access alternative services if their call is not life-threatening.’

‘If you have a non-life-threatening but urgent medical problem, please call NHS 111 who can advise you on the most appropriate place for care and also call an ambulance if necessary.

‘Our hardworking ambulance crews, control room staff and volunteers will continue to prioritise anyone who is critically ill and ask that you help us help you by only calling 999 in a life threatening emergency.’

The service points out: A life-threatening medical emergency is when someone is seriously ill or injured and their life is at risk.

‘We are encouraging people in the South West to seek help from the most appropriate service. If you have a non-life-threatening but urgent medical problem, please think 111 first – for example, fractured small bones, sprains, or minor burns.

‘The service responded to an average of 2,913 incidents a day last week, compared with 2,816 incidents a day between April 12 and May 16.

‘Yesterday [Saturday, May 29) activity was at nearly 3,200 incidents, the highest level of activity in 2021 and we are expecting to see similar numbers today (Sunday).

‘For comparison, the trust normally deals with around 2,650 emergency incidents a day.’