South Central Ambulance Service (SCAS) declared a critical incident in the early hours of Wednesday 6 April 2022, citing extreme pressures across its services1. The service said the status was stood down on Thursday 7 April 20221.
SCAS attributed the declaration to the level of demand, with a large volume of calls received throughout the day and into the night, and to increased challenges in releasing ambulances from busy acute hospitals, which it said then affects the ability to get crews back on the road to respond to patients1. The service said staff and volunteers continued to work extremely hard to respond to calls and incidents, and that it continued to prioritise patients with life-threatening injuries and illnesses1.
For some patients whose situation was not a life-threatening or serious emergency, SCAS said it had been discussing their needs, providing advice and urging them to make their own way to hospital if they did not require an emergency ambulance response1. The service asked people to help by using its services wisely and by using other healthcare alternatives, including 111.nhs.uk for urgent medical advice and guidance wherever possible and appropriate1.
"Declaring a critical incident means we are able to focus our resources on those patients most in need and communicates the pressures we are under to our patients and health system partners who can provide support."
The declaration covered the whole of the service's area; the announcement did not break the pressures down by county or give figures for call volumes, response times or the number of patients affected, and none have been reported1.
Why it matters for households
A critical incident declaration is a formal step by an ambulance service, and SCAS set out what it means in practice: resources are focused on patients most in need, and the pressures are communicated to patients and health system partners who can provide support1. For households in the SCAS area, the period of the declaration ran from the early hours of 6 April to 7 April 20221. During it, some patients whose situation was not a life-threatening or serious emergency were advised to make their own way to hospital if they did not require an emergency ambulance response1. The service asked people to use its services wisely and to use other healthcare alternatives, including 111.nhs.uk, for urgent medical advice and guidance wherever possible and appropriate1. Our guide on what it means when a major incident is declared explains how these declarations work, and the staying informed hub covers how to follow official updates during an incident.
What happens next
SCAS stated that critical incident status was stood down on Thursday 7 April 20221. No further steps were set out in the announcement, and no review or report into the declaration has been reported1.
Major Incident Declared
