‘Only call if life-threatening’: London ambulance plea after heatwave sparks busiest day since pandemic

Paramedics in London are urging people only to call 999 in life-threatening situations as emergency calls promoted by the heatwave saw levels soar to those last seen during the peak of the Covid pandemic.

Handlers received 8,121 calls to 999 on Tuesday, London Ambulance Service said, as the capital faced sweltering temperatures.

This was the service’s sixth-busiest day ever, with record numbers of calls from 2pm until midnight, for a range of conditions linked to the heat, including difficulty breathing, dizziness and fainting.

The surge came as the record for the hottest May day on record was broken on Monday and then again on Tuesday, with Kew Gardens in south-west London provisionally reaching 35.1C.

Tuesday’s temperatures exceeded Monday’s provisional all-time hottest meteorological spring temperature of 34.8C, recorded in the same place.

Alison Blakely, deputy chief paramedic at London Ambulance Service, said: “We continue to be extremely busy with yesterday being our busiest day since the height of the pandemic.”

She added: “We want people to enjoy the weather but please take steps to look after yourselves and others around you.

“As the weather is set to stay hot for the rest of the week, our message to the public is to stay safe in the heat, drink plenty of fluids, avoid excess alcohol, stay out of the sun between 11am-3pm and check in on those who are vulnerable, including those over 65, young children and those with pre-existing health conditions.”

Temperatures are expected to cool slightly in parts of the UK in the coming days but health officials have confirmed that heat health alerts, which mean there is an increased danger to health, would be extended for 24 hours.

The UK Health Security Agency said amber alerts for the South West, South East, London, East and West Midlands and the East of England will remain in place until 5pm on Thursday, with yellow heat-health alerts for the North West and North East.

An amber heat health alert means that any impacts will likely include increased use of health care services by vulnerable people, as well as an increase in risk to health for individuals aged over 65 years or those with pre-existing health conditions.

Ms Blakely added: “Hot weather can have a significant impact on people’s health, and we have seen an increase in calls relating to difficulty in breathing, dizziness and fainting, as well as more calls relating to chest pains and heart problems.

“During the soaring temperatures we often see calls related to respiratory illnesses and cardiac-related calls are common in the days following a heatwave.

“Sometimes people start to feel ill a few days after the hot weather so please continue to look after yourself and others.

“Londoners can help us by only calling 999 in a life-threatening emergency and consider using their GP and NHS 111 or NHS 111 online.”

Britons have also been urged to keep safe following the deaths of nine people who got into trouble in open water after the recent days of record-breaking heat.

The Royal Life Saving Society issued a plea for everyone to “stop and think” before getting into the water in response to the deaths, most of whom were children and teenagers.

It noted that “warmer weather unfortunately correlates to an increase in accidental drownings” and that despite warmer air, “water temperatures remain very cold”.

The Met Office said cloud and a developing easterly flow on Wednesday would lead to a reduction in temperature highs for many areas – with the highest temperatures forecast in southwestern England where 32C-33C could be recorded.

Highs of 32C are forecast for Thursday in London and the East Midlands, with temperatures on Friday potentially reaching 30C in London and East Anglia. Temperatures of 29C are forecast on Saturday, around London and Kent.

By Sunday, the warmest air is expected to have cleared away to the south with temperatures closer, though mostly above, average for the time of year for the whole of the UK, the Met Office said.