London Ambulance calls up by more than a third as A&E closures hit

Ambulance crews are dealing with a dramatic rise in emergency calls as A&E departments face the axe.

Call-outs to patients with the most serious life-threatening conditions have soared by more than a third across the capital.

They rose to more than 351,000 (351,796) last year, new figures reveal today.

This compares with just over 261,000 (261,168) of these ‘Category A’ incidents five years ago.

The figures relate to the number of incidents involving seriously ill or injured patients taken by ambulance to London hospitals or specialist care centres.

Campaigners warn the rise highlights the ‘insanity’ of closing A&Es at a time when increasing numbers of patients need emergency care.

The London Ambulance Service (LAS) responded to nearly 15 per cent more of these life-threatening incidents in Lewisham over the past year alone.

The hospital’s A&E will be downgraded to tackle the £150m debt crisis at neighbouring South London Healthcare NHS Trust (SLHT).

Chris Maines, a Liberal Democrat councillor, said the call-out figures disprove the suggestion from health chiefs that many A&E visits are unnecessary.

He said it demonstrates the pressure on local services at a time when they face closures and cut-backs.

The councillor, who represents people using Lewisham hospital, said: "This dramatic rise in emergency call-outs put paid to the suggestion that many of the A and E visits are unnecessary.

"These are life threatening calls and demonstrate the growing pressure on local services. They are further evidence, if it were needed, of the insanity of downsizing Lewisham’s A&E.’