The North East Ambulance Service (NEAS) has declared a second critical incident within nine days due to unprecedented pressure following the Christmas break.
The incident was declared on the morning of Tuesday December 27 as a result of significant delays for more than 100 patients waiting for an ambulance, together with a reduction in ambulance crew availability to respond because of delays in handing over patients at the region's hospitals.
NEAS has been operating at its highest level of alert status over the Christmas break already, keeping in place many of the actions from the previous declaration of a critical incident to cope over the extended bank holiday weekend covering Christmas and Boxing Day.
