London Ambulance Service is finalising its preparations for one of the busiest nights of the year as London prepares to welcome in 2025.
More than 50 extra ambulances will be on the road overnight on 31 December, a night that traditionally sees up to 2,000 more calls than the daily average. Last year, during the peak time between 2am and 3am on New Year’s Day, a 999 call was received every 11 seconds.
This festive season has already been busy for the service, with a 20% increase in the number of 999 calls on Christmas Eve compared to the same day last year, equating to nearly 1,000 additional calls.
With temperatures expected to drop and strong winds and rain forecast, people are being urged to take extra care. Strategic Commander Becky Owen, who is overseeing operations on New Year’s Eve, said:
“Happy New Year to Londoners and all those visiting, from all of us at London Ambulance Service.
“We hope everyone celebrating has a fantastic night but please take care of yourself and others – we really don’t want your night to end with you in the back of an ambulance.
“And if you are heading out for drinks, do take a few steps to stay safe. Have a meal before you start drinking, and try to have some soft drinks too. Make sure you know how you’re getting home, check travel arrangements and as it is forecast to be cold and wet, make sure you wrap up warmly.”
The service is already experiencing one of its busiest winters on record, with more than 7,000 999 calls received in one day – a level not seen since the pandemic.
Nearly 200 additional staff will be working this New Year’s Eve to care for London, including more than 50 clinicians and volunteers from St John Ambulance stationed in central London at the Mayor of London’s celebrations. These teams will be on foot to provide care in crowded areas.
Extra staff will also be working in control rooms and clinical hubs, with the special operations centre open to coordinate and dispatch resources. The service will work closely with police and Transport for London throughout the night.
For the rest of London, around 100 extra clinicians will be on the road in ambulances responding to 999 calls. Becky added:
“Thanks to everyone working on New Year’s Eve – not just at London Ambulance Service – but all our colleagues in the emergency services and the NHS.
“The public can help us all by being sensible – only call us when it’s a serious medical emergency so we can continue to respond to the most seriously ill and injured patients.
“We have been seeing an increase in alcohol-related incidents over the past few weeks and many of these are avoidable – and could mean we don’t have an ambulance crew for a patient who needs us.”
People with urgent medical needs are being encouraged to use NHS 111 online. Many urgent treatment centres are open 24 hours for conditions such as sprains, broken limbs, and minor burns, while pharmacies can provide advice and medication. The NHS pharmacy finder can help locate open pharmacies nearby.
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