Ambulance services on 'high alert' and facing 'extreme pressure' due to hot weather
ALL ambulance services in England are on the highest level of alert and under 'extreme pressure'.
A combination of Covid absences among staff, the hot weather and ongoing delays in handing over patients to A&E has left the 10 trusts struggling to cope.
The West Midlands trust said it had been on the highest level, known as REAP 4, for a few months.
The South Central trust said: "We continue to prioritise our response to those patients with life-threatening and serious emergencies.
"There will be delays in responding to other patients."
Martin Flaherty, of the Association of Ambulance Chief Executives, said: "The sector is under intense pressure.
"The highest level is normally reserved for only major incidents or short periods of unusual demand."