North West Ambulance Service (NWAS) issued another urgent plea last night for people to think before calling 999.
NWAS warned crews were facing "significant" amounts of calls due to the severe weather and long delays at hospital drop off areas across the region. The ambulance service said crews have been "extremely busy" and hundreds of patients had been left waiting for an ambulance.
On Monday, December 12 Chris Grant, the medical director for NWAS, issued an urgent message to people to keep phone lines clear for the most life-threatening conditions. Appearing outside and speaking into the camera of a mobile phone, Mr Grant said: "I apologise in the delay in getting care to you. But I do need your help."
READ MORE: Parcels still piled high as Royal Mail delivery strikes continue
The ambulance boss added: "We need to keep our phone lines free. So please, only call us back if you no longer need our help or if your own condition has gotten significantly worse." There were around 600 people waiting for an ambulance at the time Mr Grant spoke at around 5pm on Monday.
A spokesperson for the NWAS told the BBC as of yesterday afternoon, Tuesday, this number had been reduced to 300 patients. But they added there was also more than 40 emergency vehicles waiting at hospitals to hand over patients.
The ECHO has reported on a number of occasions this year chaotic scenes outside hospital emergency departments. In October a NWAS source close to the ECHO said ambulances were being held for hours as there were not enough beds in hospitals.
The most notable example saw "over 26 ambulances" waiting outside the new Royal Liverpool Hospital. Ambulance crews remained at the hospital treating patients. The NWAS source said: "The ambulances are there to take a patient into hospital - they are not a hospital on wheels." They added crews who would normally do "10 jobs are only doing one".
Dr Fiona Lemmens, Deputy Medical Director for NHS Cheshire and Merseyside, said at the time: "We are entering a challenging winter period and at times this is resulting in longer handover times for ambulance crews at our hospitals. We apologise for the impact this has on patients and their families and want to assure them that patient safety is our top priority."
The ECHO understands a large amount of recent calls to the 111 service have been regarding repeat prescriptions and sore throats. . Information on a majority of conditions can be found on the NHS's online service.
Ged Blezard, director of operations at NWAS told the BBC delays at hospital sites were "making it difficult to get to other vulnerable people in the community". Mr Blezard added: "The public can help us by only calling 999 for life-threatening emergencies. We cannot stress enough that our ambulance crews are reserved for the most life-threatening cases and these incidents will be prioritised."
A Department of Health spokesperson said: "These levels of performance are clearly unacceptable, and patients deserve access to the highest-quality urgent and emergency care. That is why we are prioritising health and social care with up to £14.1 billion over the next two years, on top of record funding."
Receive newsletters with the latest news, sport and what's on updates from the Liverpool ECHO by signing up here .
READ NEXT:
'Untouchable drug gang' targeted by 200 officers in morning raids
Parents feared 'eating Christmas dinner on floor' after DFS 'lose sofa'
Police surround street as woman's body found in home
Why it's barely snowed in Liverpool but parts of UK have been covered in snow
