BBC Breakfast paused for 'breaking news' announcement after 'critical incident'
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Jon Kay suddenly cut into the latest BBC Breakfast broadcast to share breaking news with viewers. He was accompanied by guest Jason Killen from Wiltshire, the Chief Executive of the Welsh Ambulance Service. As they went live, a message banner unfurled at the screen's bottom with the stark announcement: "Welsh Ambulance Service Critical Incident. 340 calls waiting to be answered last night," just as Jason piped in through a video call stressing the critical need for people to reserve 999 for absolute emergencies only.
Jason's presence on the broadcast was to deliver an urgent caution to Welsh residents about the severe lack of available support due to the overwhelming number of calls, revealing a daunting queue of close to 90 ambulances filled with patients still awaiting hospital admission.
"The pressure for us continues this morning, we had a very very busy day yesterday with increases with 999 calls but also pressure across the urgent and emergency care system in the NHS meant that our ambulances were delayed and with some departments not handing over their patients for very long periods," Jason conveyed to Jon.
In tandem with their local appeal urging public restraint on using 999 solely for genuine emergencies, the Ambulance Service extended heartfelt apologies to those affected by the massive holdups and lingering backlogs casting a shadow over New Year's Eve proceedings, reports the Express.
On the broadcast, Jason expressed his regret for service delays, stating: "I wanted to apologise to patients who waited too long yesterday and today and continued to wait this morning and thank our teams for providing the best service and really what they could in the difficult circumstances this winter.".
