Ambulance crews remain under pressure with demand 13 per cent higher than normal for the time of year.

Last month South East Coast Ambulance Service (SECAmb) announced increasing pressures had forced it to move to Level 5 on its own action plan scale –regarded as “critical”, which can be sparked by a number of factors including “a catastrophic incident or multiple major incidents”.

The situation was compounded by a high number of calls over the Easter weekend, and calls remain at an unusually high level, with crews responding to more than 2,100 incidents on Saturday April 2.

SECAmb is asking for the public’s support, reminding people to use other options in less urgent cases, as crews must prioritise life-threatening emergencies.

A statement from the service also said it was working closely with hospitals across the region to minimise delays when patients are handed over at A&E, so that ambulances are free to respond to 999 calls outs.

SECAmb Paramedic and Head of Resilience & Specialist Operations Andy Cashman said:“The demand the service is facing is currently very high and it is taking us longer that we would like to respond to calls. Everyone is working extremely hard to reach patients who need our help as quickly as possible.

“We need the public to remember that 999 should only be used in an emergency. Anyone faced with a medical emergency shouldn’t hesitate to call but we would urge anyone else who needs help to consider all the other options available to them. This might be dialling NHS111 for help, where staff can provide support and advice over the phone and refer patient to out-of-hours services where appropriate.”