London Ambulance Service said on 3 May 2024 that it was taking around 5,800 999 calls a day, around 10 per cent more than the same time the previous week, as cases of breathing difficulties and asthma attacks rose ahead of the long May Bank Holiday weekend1.
The service attributed the increase to a combination of thunderstorms and a high pollen count. Its Chief Medical Officer, Dr Fenella Wrigley, also cited wet and stormy weather, tree pollen and respiratory illnesses in the community, and said the service was heading into the weekend facing strong demand for ambulances, particularly from people reporting difficulty breathing1.
"A combination of thunderstorms and high pollen count has seen numbers of people with breathing difficulties or having asthma attacks creeping up."
The service set out which calls it treats as life-threatening emergencies, and which it does not. It said examples of medical emergencies where 999 is the appropriate call include chest pains, strokes, severe difficulty in breathing, unconsciousness, severe loss of blood, severe burns or scalds, choking, fitting or head injuries, drowning or severe allergic reactions1. For conditions that are not emergencies, it pointed to alternatives including GPs and pharmacies where these are still available, and NHS 111 online, which it said should be the first port of call for anyone unsure what to do or which service they need1.
Why it matters for households
The service said GPs and some pharmacies will be closed over the long weekend, and asked Londoners to check ahead of it that they have enough medication1. Dr Wrigley asked people to check on any vulnerable family or friends ahead of the weekend to make sure they are safe and have the medication they need1. For advice or medication from a pharmacist in London, the service directed people to the NHS pharmacy finder to check which pharmacies are open nearby1. It also said that anyone who no longer needs an ambulance, or who can make their own way to hospital, should call back on 999 to say so, so that crews can be redirected to another patient1. The service said it has teams of clinical staff in control rooms who can talk to people calling 999, and gets hundreds of ambulances out on the road each day1. General guidance on preparing for and responding to health emergencies is set out in the site's health emergencies hub.
What happens next
No further dates or service updates beyond the Bank Holiday weekend have been reported1.
