East Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Trust has declared a critical incident following sustained pressure on ambulance services and the wider NHS.The declaration was made at 2.30pm on Saturday, June 27, 2026.EMAS said the escalation follows a period of sustained pressure on ambulance services across the country, including within the East Midlands.Over the past 24 hours, the trust has experienced a significant increase in demand for its services, alongside ongoing pressure within the wider NHS and the additional challenges created by this week’s extreme heat.EMAS said these factors have combined to create a situation that has led to this level of escalation.In response, the ambulance service said it is continuing to work closely with NHS partners to help reduce risk to patients and maintain emergency ambulance availability.Actions being taken include working with hospitals to support the timely handover of patients so ambulance crews can return to responding to 999 calls.EMAS is also working with healthcare providers to direct patients to the most appropriate care for their needs when it is not a life-threatening emergency.The trust said it will continue to prioritise its response to the most life-threatening and serious incidents.In its announcement, EMAS said: “Like many across the NHS, EMAS colleagues have been working tirelessly to respond to patient need.“All available internal actions to mitigate risk have been taken.“Therefore, a critical incident has been declared to secure additional support and help reduce the risk of avoidable patient harm.”The public is being asked to help by using NHS services wisely and by taking regular medication to manage long-term conditions.EMAS said that if an illness or injury is not immediately life-threatening, people should seek alternative care through a pharmacy, urgent treatment centre, or general practitioner, including out-of-hours services.People are also advised to visit the NHS website for services near them.The trust added: “Given the additional weather-related pressures being responded to, please act responsibly and do not take unnecessary risks.”EMAS escalated to Resource Escalation Action Plan, known as REAP, Level 4 on Monday, June 22, 2026, in response to sustained pressures across the NHS and ambulance services.REAP Level 4 is the highest level of ambulance service escalation and indicates there is a risk of service failure unless immediate action is taken.The Emergency Preparedness, Resilience and Response framework describes a critical incident as: “Any localised incident where the level of disruption results in the organisation temporarily or permanently losing its ability to deliver critical services, patients may have been harmed or the environment is not safe requiring special measures and support from other agencies, to restore normal functions.”
EMAS declares critical incident after heatwave and NHS pressures drive ambulance demand | West Bridgford Wire
