A critical incident has been declared by East Midlands Ambulance Service (EMAS) after what it called "additional challenges created by this week's extreme heat".

The ambulance service said it had experienced a "significant increase in demand" alongside ongoing pressure within the wider NHS, leading to the critical incident being declared on Saturday at 14:30 BST.

It comes after June temperature records tumbled and hot weather warnings were issued by the Met Office across swathes of the country.

The service said it was continuing to prioritise its response to the most life-threatening and serious incidents, and asked the public to use NHS services wisely.

In an updated statement at on Sunday evening, an EMAS spokesperson said: "The service is still experiencing significant pressures and is working closely with partners across the health and care system to support patient care and maintain ambulance availability."

They also urged people to "ease demand on the service", in order for ambulances to reach the most critically ill patients.

EMAS said it had already escalated to Resource Escalation Action Plan (REAP) Level 4 on Monday, which indicated a "risk of service failure unless immediate action is taken".

The ambulance service said the critical incident followed a period of sustained pressure on all ambulance services across the country.

It said it was working with hospitals to support the timely handover of patients, so ambulance crews could respond to 999 calls and work with healthcare providers to direct patients who were not in life-threatening emergencies to the most appropriate care.

In a statement, EMAS said: "Like many across the NHS, EMAS colleagues have been working tirelessly to respond to patient need.

"Therefore, a critical incident has been declared to secure additional support and help reduce the risk of avoidable patient harm."

EMAS urged the public to assist by taking regular medication to manage long-term conditions, and to seek alternative care when an illness or injury is not immediately life-threatening.

The service added: "Given the additional weather-related pressures being responded to, please act responsibly and do not take unnecessary risks."

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