'Huge spike in demand' puts ambulance service at highest level of alert

THE East of England Ambulance Service (EEAST) has moved to the highest alert level due to a “huge spike in demand”.

- By CHARLOTTE PAGE

Last Wednesday, EEAST moved to Resource Escalation Action Plan (REAP) Level 4 in response to sustained high demand on the service and handover delays at hospitals increasing.

In the week ending November 30, EEAST which covers Cambridgeshire Bedfordshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Norfolk and Suffolk took almost 24,000 999 calls from the public an increase of nearly 3,000 calls on the previous week.

That number continued to increase last week, with more than 24,400 calls received.