THE South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (SWASFT) appealed to residents to help protect emergency services, after experiencing its busiest day on record.

On Thursday, June 25, the Trust received over 5,200 calls to its 999 control rooms and managed over 4,300 incidents across the region.

The service said the unprecedented demand was driven by the ongoing period of extreme hot weather, with temperatures soaring across the South West during the Red Heat-Health Alert.

Pete Brown, Director of Operations at SWASFT, said: "We want to be there for everyone that needs us in a life-threatening emergency; to do this, we need to have our ambulances free to respond to those most in need. If you call us and we're not the right service for you, we will direct you to another part of the NHS - please listen to this advice, as it could mean that you get the help you need faster.

"We are receiving many calls for conditions such as sunburn, feeling overheated and mild dehydration due to alcohol intake. While these symptoms can feel unpleasant, they can often be managed safely at home or with advice from NHS 111 online or your local pharmacy. Every less urgent 999 call reduces our ability to respond quickly to someone whose life may be at risk.

"999 should be used for serious medical emergencies such as cardiac arrest, chest pain, breathing difficulties, suspected stroke, loss of consciousness, choking, severe allergic reactions or catastrophic bleeding."

The number of incidents managed was more than 390 higher than the previous day and represented a 34 per cent increase on the typical level of demand for June.

The service also saw significant increases in patients requiring help for falls, breathing difficulties, and unconsciousness or fainting.

While ambulance crews and emergency operations centre staff worked tirelessly to respond to patients, the high demand placed exceptional pressure on emergency services across the region.

Pete Brown added: "We recognise that some patients are waiting longer than we would like, and we are sorry for this. Our people are doing everything possible to provide safe care under unprecedented levels of demand.

"Please do not call back to ask when your ambulance will arrive. Unfortunately, we are unable to provide estimated arrival times and repeat calls can delay our ability to answer other emergency calls.

"I would like to thank our staff, volunteers and NHS partners across the region for their continued dedication in delivering the best possible care under extremely challenging circumstances."

The ambulance service also urged people to take sensible precautions to stay safe in the heat and to choose the right NHS service for their healthcare needs. It said calling 999 only in life-threatening emergencies will help ensure ambulances remain available for those who need them most.

The service added it will continue to monitor demand closely and work with NHS partners across the region to provide the best possible care for patients throughout the period of extreme weather.