Quickest response by ambulance service on New Year's Eve

Across the whole of the West Midlands, emergency 999 calls were answered in just one second on average, including the 297 calls made from Shropshire, 1,001 in Birmingham and 957 across the Black Country.

All three areas saw a drop in the number of calls made compared to New Year's Eve 2017, which saw 305 calls for Shropshire, 1,007 calls for Birmingham and 1,016 calls across the Black Country

The Trust’s two control rooms, based in Brierley Hill and Stafford, saw a 3.5 per cent increase in the number of calls received between 7pm on New Year’s Eve and 6am on New Year’s Day but after months of planning and preparation, calls were answered and responded to quicker than ever before.

In total, the Trust received 2,140 calls during the overnight timeframe, compared to 2,068 the year before. Though there was a fall in the number of calls received on New Year’s Day, down to 4,152 in 2019 compared to 4,442 12-months earlier.

Increase

To deal with the vast increase in calls, West Midlands Ambulance Service (WMAS) starts planning for the festive period in the summer. For New Year's Eve 2018, staffing levels were maximised and there were more staff and ambulances out on the roads of the West Midlands than ever before in order to ensure patients continued to receive the highest standards of care possible.

Jeremy Brown, head of emergency operations centres at WMAS, said: "It is testament to my staff that calls were answered incredibly quickly despite this traditionally being our busiest night of the year.

"Our staff, both in control and out on the road, have to give up a lot of time with their families at this time of year and I thank them for all of their efforts and dedication."

Proud

WMAS chief executive, Anthony Marsh, said: "I am incredibly proud of the way that our control room staff were able to answer calls incredibly quickly on such a busy night, just as they do throughout the rest of the year.

"That together with the hard work of ambulance staff who were out responding to the calls helped to ensure patients received care as quickly as possible.

"I would like to thank everyone involved for putting the public before themselves and their families."