Ahead of the country experiencing sweltering weather this week, London Ambulance Service is sharing advice on staying safe and well in the heat.
Dr Fenella Wrigley, Chief Medical Officer at London Ambulance Service, said:
“We hope Londoners can enjoy the sunshine this week, but we’re asking people to take care to stay safe and well as temperatures climb.
“When it’s hot, we see an increase in calls and incidents as the heat can exacerbate heart and breathing conditions.
“In such weather, we also receive calls from people who do not need an ambulance – such as for minor sunburn, heat rash or hay fever. These can be dealt with by a pharmacist.
“We must prioritise the most seriously ill and injured. We are calling on Londoners to use our Service wisely and use alternative such as their GP or local pharmacist or going online to http://www.111.nhs.uk where possible.”
The Service is reminding those wishing to make the most of the sun to stay hydrated, drink sensibly if drinking alcohol, use sun cream and stay cool in the shade.
If catching a train or the tube, people should also make sure to carry a bottle of water and step off the train at the next station if they feel unwell.
Londoners should also be aware of the Mayor’s Refill London initiative – a network of more than 100 drinking water fountains in busy parts of the capital.
These can be found via the Refill app.
During and after periods of hot weather, London’s ambulance service will see an increase in calls relating to difficulty in breathing, dizziness and fainting as well as more requests relating to chest pains and heart problems.
This week temperatures overnight will also remain high, so the Service is encouraging Londoners to take steps to ensure they stay fresh – such as following Public Health England’s advice on keeping the home cool.
The Service is also asking people to look out for one another.
Dr Wrigley added:
“Older people, the very young and people with pre-existing conditions are more at risk in hot weather – so we are asking people to look out for neighbours, family or friends who may need some help and make sure they can keep cool during a heatwave.”
The Met Office has issued a weather warning for thunderstorms that covers the majority of the country and comes into effect from 15:00 hours today
Image credit: Met Office
Before you go...
We need your help. As former emergency services & armed forces personnel, we pride ourselves on bringing you important, fast-moving and breaking news stories which are free from the negative bias which is often directed at the emergency services by some sections of the mainstream media.
One of the reasons we started 'Emergency Services News' was because we became tired of reading badly informed stories about the emergency services which seemed only ever to highlight negative aspects of the job.
We want to be the unheard voice of the remarkable men and women who serve in the emergency services, NHS and armed forces. And with around 500k page views each month, we are getting there!
As income from ads, the mainstay source of income for most publishers, continues to decline; we need the help of our readers.
And remember, if you have a service, product or job vacancy that you would like to promote to our large readership, then you can buy advertising space in our articles.
You can support emergency services news from as little as £1. It only takes a minute. Every contribution, however big or small, is vital for our future.
Please help us to continue to highlight the life-saving work of the emergency services, NHS and armed forces by becoming a supporter.
