New Year’s Eve call numbers up significantly for West Midlands Ambulance Service

It proved to be a busy start to 2024 for West Midlands Ambulance Service with a near 13% increase in call numbers compared to last year.

From 6.00pm on the 31^st until 6.00am on the 1^st, call assessors in Stafford and Brierley Hill took no fewer than 2,776 calls from the West Midlands, up from 2,461 the previous year.

Over the two days (31^st December and 1st January), the Trust took a total of 10,481 calls, up from 9,055, an almost 16% 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 on line (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.”