Staff sought as ambulance emergency call-outs soar

Hundreds of ambulance staff are being recruited because of rising numbers of 999 call-outs.

The London Ambulance Service today said alcohol was partly to blame for the rising figures, leaving patients with less serious problems having to wait longer to be attended.

The LAS is recruiting 240 staff as part of a £15 million overhaul over the next two years to modernise care, including putting a paramedic in every ambulance, improved response times and changes to shifts.

New figures reveal that the LAS dealt with 1.7 million emergency calls last year, a rise of nearly seven per cent.

Alcohol-related Category A call-outs — the most serious — rose to 31,558, compared with 30,308 the year before.

Ann Radmore, the LAS’s new chief executive, said: “Whilst we have been providing a good service to patients with life-threatening illnesses and injuries, increased demand has meant not everyone is getting the level of care they should from us, and many are waiting too long for our help. We know this needs to change.”