Ambulance service declares critical incident as heatwave puts pressure on NHS
25/06/2026
A range of emergency measures have been introduced ain a bid to improve response times
South Central Ambulance Service has declared a critical incident after extreme temperatures and a surge in emergency calls led to significant delays in response times.
The incident was declared this morning (Thursday) with the trust citing increased demand, more seriously ill patients and growing pressure across the wider NHS. Delays in transferring patients to emergency departments have also reduced ambulance availability.
The service has introduced a range of emergency measures, including additional shifts, redeploying staff to frontline roles and maximising fleet capacity, in a bid to improve response times.
Mark Ainsworth, Executive Director of Operations, said: “We continue to prioritise patients with the most serious injuries and illnesses, and our staff and volunteers are working extremely hard through the heat.
“We recognise that response times are longer than they should be and that’s why we’ve called the incident, to ensure everything possible is being done to improve the position.”
The public is being urged to take extra care during the heatwave, check on vulnerable friends and neighbours, and only call 999 in life-threatening emergencies.
South Central Ambulance Service warned that pressures are likely to continue for several days, even after temperatures begin to ease.
Published: by the Banbury FM News Team
Reader's opinions
