Ambulance service sees record 999 demand

An ambulance service has seen record demand in September with nearly 100,000 calls to 999, with staff attending more than 84,000 emergency incidents.

It compares to about 90,000 calls last September - 80,000 of which required an ambulance response, said the East of England Ambulance Service.

Higher demand had resulted in longer waits for treatment. Last month, crews spent more than 18,000 hours waiting to transfer patients into hospital care, it said.

"By improving patient flow through hospitals, and supporting people to receive care in the right place, we can help ambulances get back on the road more quickly and respond to the next patient in need," said chief operating officer Darren Meads.

"Our ambulance crews and emergency operations centre teams work incredibly hard every day to provide the best possible care for patients, often in very challenging circumstances."

The service, which operates in Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire, Essex, Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire, said this was its busiest ever year.

It received more than 1,222,000 calls to 999 between September 2025 and September 2026 - more than 1,100,000 of which required an ambulance.

It compares to more than 1,000,000 calls to 999 between September 2024 and September 2025, with crews responding to more than 942,000 emergency incidents.

The service said it was working with other NHS services across the region, including hospitals, integrated care boards and community services, to reduce delays.

Meads said: "Winter is always one of the busiest times of year for ambulance services, and the demand we experienced during September shows how important it is that we prepare early.

"We know that behind every patient there are families facing an anxious wait for support during one of the most difficult moments of their lives."

The service has urged people to not call 999 unless it is a life-threatening emergency. Instead, they should use NHS 111, where they can be directed to the most appropriate care.

Earlier this year, the union Unison warned that while the performance of services had improved in the past year, there was a risk of staff burnout with requests for leave being denied.

The ambulance service said it would work with unions to address the issues.

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