Alcohol

Public urged to stay safe this Black-eye Friday

The North East Ambulance Service is reminding party-goers to stay safe and look after each other as it prepares for one of the busiest weekends of the year.

This coming Friday (Dec 23rd) is commonly known as “Black-eye Friday”, and when combined with Christmas Eve, is set to be one of the busiest weekends of the year for the emergency services.

December has already been a busy time for NEAS, with around 200 more ambulances being dispatched each weekend so far this month compared to a normal weekend.

With two bank holidays immediately after Christmas, the festive revelry is also set to continue into Tuesday.

In the run up to this weekend, the ambulance service is urging members of the public to plan ahead and make sure their evening doesn’t end with a call to 999 or a visit to A&E.

Last year, the North East Ambulance Service (NEAS) dispatched 3,327 ambulances over the Black-eye Friday weekend, compared to 3,025 ambulances dispatched the previous weekend – equating to a 10% increase in demand. 

Although not all of these were alcohol related, almost 200 incidents were reported by staff as false alarms such as no injury and no treatment required.

Lynn Pyburn, Assistant Operations Centre Manager, said: “The Christmas period is one of our busiest times of the year and it’s not just the ambulance service under pressure – unless it’s an emergency you can help our hospitals too by being safe and sensible.

“Have a good night but please don’t ruin your night by ending it sitting in A&E. Arriving at hospital in an ambulance doesn’t mean you will get seen or treated any sooner.

“Someone who is suffering the effects of drugs or alcohol can divert our resources away from genuinely sick people. For every inappropriate call we receive, there’s someone genuinely ill waiting. Please consider this when calling 999. It could be you or someone you know waiting for that ambulance.

“Please think before you pick up the phone. Do you really need an ambulance or is there another way of you getting help?

“We would also like to remind people that we are not a taxi service. We receive a lot of calls at this time of year from people who want a lift home.”

NEAS staff from emergency care and the patient transport service (PTS) are also working with police on Operation Ginger to respond to patients in the city centre.

Stuart Holliday, Head of HART and Resilience, said: “The intentions behind Operation Ginger is to provide swifter response to violent or health related incidents or injuries.  On occasions when we are not able to send a lone worker, or a police officer might want medical assessment of a person, it can be quicker to respond jointly with a police officer and ambulance worker. 

“A PTS sweeper vehicle is also used for the transportation of patients. This can reduce call outs for ambulances and police, lessen the impact on A&E at peak times and give early intervention, triage and treatment on site.” 

Colin Shevills, Director of Balance, the North East Alcohol Office, said: “We want everyone to enjoy themselves over the festive period, but we also want people to stay safe. Over the Christmas period it’s easy to overdo it where alcohol is concerned, but drinking too much brings very serious risks.

“Not only can excessive drinking spoil the festivities for the people involved and their families, it also puts a huge strain on our emergency services. By drinking sensibly, everyone can play their part in helping to reduce the burden.”

Party-goers can enjoy the festivities and keep themselves safe by taking some of the following steps:

* Wear appropriate clothing and footwear for cold weather

* Eat a meal before heading out

* Stay hydrated – have a soft drink in between alcoholic drinks

* Don’t over indulge with the alcohol and keep your drink in sight at all times

* Stay together and look after each other

* Pre-book your taxi for getting home before you go out and keep some money spare to pay for it. Text each other so you know you’re all home safely

Examples of emergencies where 999 should always be called include:

  • Chest pain
  • Difficulty in breathing
  • Unconsciousness
  • Severe loss of blood
  • Severe burns or scalds
  • Choking 
  • Fitting or concussion
  • Drowning
  • Severe allergic reactions.

More information about when the public should use 999 is available on the trust’s website https://www.neas.nhs.uk/patient-info/calling-999/when-to-call-999


Notes to editors

Notes to editors:

North East Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (NEAS) covers 3,200 square miles across the North East region.  It employs more than 2,500 staff and serves a population of 2.7 million people by handling all NHS 111 and 999 calls for the region, operating patient transport and ambulance response services, delivering training for communities and commercial audiences and providing medical support cover at events.

In 2015/16 the service answered 1.160 million emergency 999 and NHS 111 calls, responded to 295,855 incidents that resulted in a patient being taken to hospital, treated and discharged, 19,949 patients with telephone advice and treated and discharged 85,021 patients at home.  In the same year, emergency care crews reached 132,948 Red incidents within the national target of 8 minutes.

If you require any further information please contact the Press Office on 0191 430 2099.