Today marks the start of the long bank holiday weekend and for many it’s a chance to relax and let off steam, but for the region’s ambulance service it’s one of its busiest times of the year.
Reporter Gemma Mitchell is joining two paramedics on their night shift in Ipswich from 6.30pm to find out what goes on behind the scenes as the NHS struggles to cope with rapidly rising demand and unrelenting expectations.
During the Easter break last year the East of England Ambulance Service Trust (EEAST) received more than 12,300 calls and responded to more than 9,180 incidents across the region.
In Suffolk, the number of emergency calls to EEAST increased by almost 30%, going from 1,258 in 2015 to 1,601 in 2016.
According to the trust, it’s not only binge drinkers who end up needing an ambulance during a bank holiday, it’s patients with long-term conditions who don’t have their medication stocked up, or those with minor health concerns who don’t want to wait to see a GP.
See the live feed attached to follow Gemma’s tweets throughout the night and discover what challenges paramedics in this region face on an every day basis.
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