How you can help us to help you during extremely busy period

Winter is always a busy time for London Ambulance Service and our NHS partners. But this winter has seen us face the additional, significant challenge from the Covid-19 pandemic.

It’s a difficult time for us all, but we must ask that you continue to play your part and help us to help you.

Our frontline ambulance crews and call handlers are under enormous pressure trying to help an unprecedented numbers of patients, working tirelessly in the most challenging of circumstances.

To help us reach patients who need us as quickly as we can, please only call 999 for life-threatening emergencies.

For urgent medical help when it’s not an emergency, please go to NHS111 online first.

If you cannot get online, call 111. The 111 service now has more doctors, nurses, pharmacists, paramedics, dental nurses and trained health advisors than ever before.

These are qualified medical personnel able to provide support and advice and they can help with booking GP appointments or even a slot in A&E if that is what you need.

If you call 999 but it’s not a life-threatening emergency, you will be waiting longer for an ambulance as we have to make sure our control room teams and ambulance crews speak to and treat the most seriously ill or injured patients.

If you no longer need an ambulance or you can make your own way to hospital, please call us back on 999 to let us know. Our crews can then be redirected to another patient who needs us.

You can also play your part and help us to help you by continuing to observe the coronavirus restrictions. Please stay at home and follow all the national guidance. This is extremely important – staying home protects the NHS and saves lives.

You can find a helpful summary of what you can and cannot do during the national lockdown here.

Our crews wear face masks and other PPE to protect themselves and to protect our patients. If we come to your home, please also wear a face covering unless you are exempt and maintain social distancing.

We’d like to say another huge thank you to all our staff and volunteers who are going above and beyond to care for Londoners in need.