7 June 2012
London Ambulance Service tested its plans for the 2012
Games by providing medical care to the large scale events at the
Queen’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations.
We had over 200 staff dedicated to work at the events on
bicycles, motorcycles, ambulances and in teams on foot each day,
and volunteers from St John and the Red Cross set up treatment
centres in central London. In total, 1,151 patients were treated by
ambulance staff.
On Sunday during the Thames river pageant 548 patients,
including 46 from the flotilla, needed medical help, and 101 of
them – including six from the boats – were taken to hospital.
During the concert at Buckingham Palace on Monday, 302 people
were treated, and 43 of them required further treatment at
hospital. Tuesday, the final day of the celebrations, staff treated
301 patients, with 29 of them taken to hospital.
Paul Gates, who led the Service's response, said: "We saw
patients with a range of injuries and illnesses, including sprained
ankles, headaches, and cuts and bruises. Sunday was the busiest day
for us, with a lot of people suffering from the effects of cold and
wet weather.
"The scale and length of the event was also another chance for
us to test our plans and training for the Olympics. It showed that
we are definitely on the right track to deliver safe and secure
Games.
"I would like to thank our staff, volunteers from St John and
the Red Cross, and colleagues from ambulance trusts from across the
country who supported us to provide medical care to those
celebrating the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee."
Notes to editors: