North West Ambulance Service declares 'major incident' over high level of calls

North West Ambulance Service has declared a “major incident” over a high number of calls. 

People were warned they could be asked to make their own way to hospital if their call was not life-threatening, while some patients faced delays. There were no signs the surge in demand was linked to coronavirus, a spokesperson for the service said. 

“North West Ambulance Service has declared a major incident due to the high level of activity in the North West region, in particular the Greater Manchester area,” the service said on Monday evening.

“If your call is not life-threatening, you may be asked if you can seek an alternative source of care or make your way to hospital by alternate means," the statement on Facebook said.

The Independent understands at one point hundreds of calls were live - which triggered the major incident alert.

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Source: The Independent, 3 November 2020