Critical incident stood down
At 12:00 today [29 June 2026] we formally stood down from the critical incident first declared on Thursday 25 June.
We would like to thank all staff, volunteers, and partners who supported the incident response and worked so hard to maintain patient care through the heatwave.
Chief Paramedic, Duncan Robertson, said: “The extreme heat caused real pressures across the NHS, and we saw some of our busiest ever days in both 999 and 111 services. Response times were severely impacted and we apologise to all patients who had to wait longer than normal.
“Teams on the road, in our call centres, vehicle workshops, and all our support functions worked tirelessly to respond to the incident. Many volunteers gave extra time, and many partners both local and from further afield came to our aid.
“I’d particularly like to thank Yorkshire Ambulance Service and their crews who came down to work with us in the north of our area. That gave us critical extra capacity and allowed us to move other crews into the area most affected by the heat. As we provided support into the East of England during the recent train crash, it shows how emergency services come together and work across boundaries when colleagues call for aid and patients need us the most.
“Local voluntary sector services also helped with providing refreshments to crews, for which we are very grateful.”
Duncan Robertson, Chief Paramedic
Services remain busy and we would urge people to continue to consider alternatives to 999 for less serious issues. 999 should be for life threatening emergencies only. Please use 111.nhs.uk or call 111 for urgent health advice.
With hot weather expected to return in the coming weeks it’s also important that people keep following good advice for coping in the heat.
The Trust remains in Business Continuity as we continue with infrastructure improvements and repairs to some IT systems affected by the extreme heat and high demand.