West Midlands Ambulance Service recorded its "busiest ever New Year's Eve" with 3,000 calls taken in just 12 hours.

From 6pm to midnight on December 31 the service took 1,281 calls - some 200 more than the 1,066 taken on the same evening in 2017.

After midnight, the trust took 1,721 calls, which was the busiest since 2007-08 when it took 1,570.

Trust chief executive, Anthony Marsh, said: "I would once again pay tribute to the astonishing efforts of our staff who continue to work so incredibly hard. Thousands of our staff were working while much of the UK was celebrating the start of a new year.

"Again, the staff in our control rooms were particularly busy. They are the front door to our service and play a vital role in triaging the calls that come in."

But Mr Marsh also said there were frequent reports of staff being verbally abused during the evening.

"Given what an important role they play, it is disappointing that so many of them reported being abused over the phone by callers," he said.

"All they are trying to do is find out as much detail about the patient as possible; it doesn't delay the arrival of an ambulance – it just means the crew are better prepared for the situation they respond to."

The announcement follows a call from WMAS yesterday for recently retired staff to return to work to help the service meet the demands caused by rising Covid-19 cases.

The service has also urged residents to only call 999 in a true emergency, to ease the burden on ambulance staff.

Mr Marsh added: "As we move into what is traditionally, the busiest period the year for the NHS, it is more important than ever that we all play our part in using the health service responsibly.

"I would ask everyone to consider using 111 online in the first instance unless it is a life-threatening emergency. We will continue to prioritise patients so that we get to those in most need first.

"I would also urge everyone who has not yet had their booster jab to get it as soon as possible. Doing so is the best way of avoiding catching corona virus, and by doing so, you will be reducing the pressures on the NHS."

(Image by Lydia via Flickr)