AMBULANCE chiefs in West Yorkshire have urged people to stay sensible over the New Year weekend.
They want to avoid having to ferry drunken people to hospital at a time when others with genuine medical emergencies may need an ambulance.
Alcohol is one of the leading causes of accidents in the UK and this problem can become exacerbated during the festive season when the enjoyment of an alcoholic drink tends to play a part in many celebrations.
Dr David Macklin, the Yorkshire Ambulance Service Trust’s associate medical director, said: “The high volume of calls we receive on New Year’s Eve puts the service under increased pressure and makes it harder for us to ensure we can get to all of our patients quickly.
“Our emergency resources can be a lifeline in a genuine life-threatening emergency such as a heart attack but our staff are too often caught up dealing with people with excessive drunkenness and alcohol-fuelled injuries which could have been avoided.
“We’re not saying people shouldn’t enjoy an alcoholic drink while celebrating, but we ask that they do so sensibly to avoid the need for an ambulance so that they are left for those with a genuine need.”
Over Christmas and on New Year’s Eve the ambulance service is running various initiatives across the county to ensure people with alcohol-related illnesses and injuries don’t place too much pressure on the service and on emergency departments in Yorkshire.
This includes the use of police and paramedic teams in busy town and city centres across the region.
