North East Medics Set For Busiest Night Of Year

23 December 2016, 06:00

North East paramedics are expecting their busiest night of the year, with an anticipated rise in alcohol-related calls due to 'Black Eye Friday' celebrations.

The North East Ambulance Service took 3,300 emergency calls over the same weekend last year, which was a 10% rise on the week prior.

Earlier this year, Public Health England revealed the North East was the only region to see a fall in alcohol-related hospital admissions.

However, medics are urging party-goers out tonight to take care and only call an ambulance if it's a serious emergency.

Karen Gardner, a paramedic at the North East Ambulance Service, said:
"If someone rings for an ambulance and it's not needed or for an emergency it takes it away from someone who could be really poorly."

"We're not an infinite resource, we do have limits like everything else."

"We get people who fall down and are actually so drunk they can't get home."

"From a paramedic's perspective to be diverted from a case, which could be a poorly child, and then find it's alcohol related can be very frustrating."