Flu cases overwhelmed ambulance service - minister

The Welsh Ambulance Service was overwhelmed over Christmas due to the number of flu and respiratory illness cases.

Last week the service declared a critical incident following a backlog of hundreds of 999 calls.

Health Secretary Jeremy Miles said despite "significant planning" there had been higher levels of flu infections this year than predicted.

He said that three times more people tested positive with flu in hospital this year compared to the same time last year.

Miles added that this, coupled with hospitals taking more measures to slow down infections "put real pressure on the ambulance service as a consequence".

The percentage of calls the ambulance service had been able to answer "in a timely fashion" remained consistent despite a huge surge in demand, he said.

"It's the demand that has put additional pressure on the system this year," he said.

The Welsh Ambulance Service said more than 340 calls were waiting to be answered at the time the critical incident was declared.

In addition, more than half of the trust's ambulances were waiting to hand over patients outside hospitals, with the service urging the public to call 999 only for serious emergencies.

Miles said there had been more resources committed to tackling winter pressures, "enabling them to recruit more advanced practitioner paramedics" as well as "health boards increasing the number of consultants" in emergency departments.

The critical incident was ended on 31 December, but the service urged people to drink sensibly at new year to help reduce demand on emergency services.