Welsh Ambulance Service declares critical incident
Wales Ambulance Trust has declared a serious incident due to increased demand for the 999 service and severe delays in hospital handovers.
It was said there were more than 340 calls waiting to be answered across Wales when a major incident was announced on Monday night.
In addition, more than half of the trust’s ambulances are waiting outside hospitals to hand over patients.
The service urged the public to call 999 only in serious emergencies, as some patients had to wait for hours for ambulances.
The trust said it had taken extra steps to ensure services could continue to be provided to the public.
Stephen Sheldon, the trust’s director of services, said in a life-threatening emergency the public could only dial 999 to provide help.
Mr Shelton added: “This is cardiac arrest, chest pain or difficulty breathing, loss of consciousness, asphyxiation or catastrophic bleeding.”
The service advises members of the public to visit the NHS 111 Wales website for health advice or speak to their GP, pharmacist and minor injuries unit.
