Busy festive period for Essex crews

On New Year's Day alone, more than 900 calls were made to the health and emergency operations centre, and although this was down slightly from last year it is still above average for a normal weekday by at least a third. Calls received between 12midnight and 7am in particular included assaults, people who had fallen over because they were drunk, and sickness due to alcohol.

The volume of calls on Christmas Day increased from last year, but both Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve saw a slight fall.

Date Calls in 05/06 Calls in 06/07 Difference
24th Dec 678 664 -14
25th Dec 683 724 +41
26th Dec 651 751 +100
31st Dec 710 639 - 71
1st Jan 1,008 905 -103


Essex's deputy chief operating officer Steve Wheaton worked overnight on New Year's Eve and said while it was quieter than previous years, it can still be hard
on the service because of drink-related accidents and incidents.

"There was generally a good attitude among the members of the public we were called to, but if people had chosen to drink sensibly, the incidents may have been avoided and there may have been less pressure on our resources.

"However, some staff in our control centre commented that they have experienced busier nights in the past, and hopefully this will start a trend for coming years."

Chief operating officer Paul Leaman went on to praise crews for their hard work: “A significant number of extra resources have been in place during the last three weeks, including more ambulances, rapid response vehicles and operational managers available. Extra staff are also placed in the HEOC in Chelmsford to deal with the predicted upturn in calls.

"This is a time of year where most of us sit back and relax with family and friends, but for our crews it's business as usual; they maintained their usual high level of care and commitment and I thank them for that."

Both hope 2008 will see a change in attitude towards using the service, so that people consider alternative health care if their condition is not life-threatening or serious.

Paul added: "Whilst we are here to respond to emergencies such as chest pains or unconsciousness, we urge people to consider how serious their need is before dialling 999. There are a range of other options available to people:

1. Keeping appropriate cold, flu and minor ailment remedies at home
2. Asking for advice at a pharmacist
3. Calling NHS Direct on 0845 46 47 or online at www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk
4. Making an appointment with your GP

“Sadly we did see a number of calls to the service over this busy period that could have been dealt with using one of these other options.

“Every time we send a resource to deal with a call that didn’t need one, we have one fewer for the life-threatening emergency that could affect your loved one.”