The build up to Christmas tends to be a busy
time, with more people than usual out celebrating with friends and
work colleagues.
As well as running the ‘booze bus’, in
recent years we have also set up treatment centres in the West End
and the City of London to be able to treat patients without needing
to take them to hospital.
West End treatment centre
Operated in partnership with Westminster Council, the
treatment centre in the West End is an alternative to busy A&E
departments for people who’ve overdone it in London’s party
hotspots.
Open to patients who have been picked up by
our crews, the centre provides a safe and warm place for
people to sober up. They get appropriate, first-class medical care
from our staff and do not have to go to A&E departments.
Facts and figures
2011
- The centre was open 10 nights (15-31 December)
- We treated 180 patients
2010
- The centre was open 18 nights (19 November - 31 December)
- We treated 286 patients
- Only ten needed further treatment at hospital
Liverpool Street treatment centre
To help deal with the increase of
alcohol-related calls in the City in the run up to Christmas, we
run a temporary field hospital at Liverpool Street train
station.
The idea is to look after patients who are
drunk or who are suffering from associated minor illnesses and
injuries in the centre, rather than taking them to busy A&E
departments.
The centre is staffed by London Ambulance
Service personnel and St John Ambulance Service staff.
A Sky News crew went to see the action at
first hand a couple of years ago. Click on the image below to see
more:
We have prepared a text transcript for the video for site
visitors who are visually or hearing impaired. (This video can also
be viewed on Sky News’s
YouTube channel)
New Year’s Eve
New Year’s Eve is traditionally the busiest
evening of the year for us, with many of the calls in the early
hours of the new year being alcohol-related.
During this period, we are supported by
members of St John Ambulance and the British Red Cross, who set up
treatment centres in the central London area.