Ambulance service covering the Banbury area declares 'critical incident' due to extreme pressures

The ambulance service which covers the Banbury area has declared a 'critical incident' due to extreme pressures across their service area.

South Central Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (SCAS) – which covers Oxfordshire, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Hampshire - declared a critical incident early yesterday, Wednesday April 6, for the service due to the level of demand and large volume of calls being received throughout the day and into the night and increased challenges in releasing some of their ambulances from busy acute hospitals.

The critical incident remains in place today, Thursday April 7, due to the higher than normal demand on the service.

Mark Ainsworth, director of operations at SCAS, said: “Our staff and volunteers continue to work extremely hard to respond to calls and incidents and we continue to prioritise those patients with life-threatening injuries and illnesses.

“For some patients whose situation is not a life-threatening or serious emergency, we have been discussing their needs, providing advice and urging to them If to make their own way to hospital if they do not require an emergency ambulance response.

“Declaring a critical incident means we are able to focus our resources on those patients most in need and communicates the pressures we are under to our patients and health system partners who can provide support.

“We are asking people to help us at this time by using our services wisely and also utilising other healthcare alternatives including 111.nhs.uk for urgent medical advice and guidance wherever possible and appropriate to do so.”