AMBULANCE staff and volunteers have been praised for the “exceptionally hard work” that ensured patients continued to receive an excellent service over the Jubilee weekend break as 999 calls soared by more than 12 per cent in Bedfordshire.
From Saturday to Tuesday, the East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust saw calls rise overall by 6.61 per cent compared to the equivalent period last year, with calls up 12.5 per cent in Bedfordshire.
Neil Storey, interim director of emergency operations, said: “Public holidays and national celebrations will of course always be a challenge, and this was an incredibly busy weekend with 999 calls in some areas up by more than 17 per cent on the same period last year.
“But the service managed extremely well. Performance was excellent over the entire holiday and this simply would not have been achievable without crews, managers, control room and support staff and volunteers giving up a long weekend to ensure patients continued to receive a first rate service from us.”