Trust experiences busy Easter period

Staff and volunteers at the region’s ambulance service have been praised by ambulance bosses following a busy Easter weekend.

Thousands across the east of England enjoyed a four-day weekend, as call handlers in the East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust’s (EEAST) control rooms received more than 11,700 emergency calls.

And out on the roads staff and volunteers were busy responding to more than 8,500 incidents across the region.

Saturday was the Trust’s busiest day of the Easter weekend with more than 3,000 calls received – slightly less than the 3,200 last Easter Saturday.

The Trust received 2,826 calls on Good Friday and 2,801 on Easter Monday.

In total, the Trust sent a response to 8,513 incidents over the four day Easter period, compared to 9,188 in 2016.

Robert Morton, EEAST Chief Executive, said: “My thanks to all of my colleagues and our volunteers for their continual hard work during another busy bank holiday weekend. We still continue to remind the public to consider alternate pathways such as 111, walk-in centres, GPs, and pharmacists if the call is not a genuine medical emergency.”

County breakdown of calls this Easter (compared with 2016)

Bedfordshire: 1,166 (1,176)

Cambridgeshire: 1,606 (1,692)

Essex: 3,794 (3,840)

Hertfordshire: 1,847 (1,989)

Norfolk: 1,875 (2,008)

Suffolk: 1,446 (1,601)