Residents and visitors to Lincolnshire urged to take hot weather seriously

East Midlands Ambulance Service is warning Lincolnshire residents and holidaymakers to take steps now to keep themselves healthy as temperatures continue to rise.
EMAS is urging people to take the heat seriously to help ambulances get to the most seriously ill peopleEMAS is urging people to take the heat seriously to help ambulances get to the most seriously ill people
EMAS is urging people to take the heat seriously to help ambulances get to the most seriously ill people

The Met Office has issued an Amber Extreme heat warning, which means there could be a danger to life or potential serious illness from the scorching temperatures.

Therefore, in order to protect ambulance crews, so they are able to attend the most seriously ill people in the county, EMAS says they need people to take responsibility for keeping themselves well during the hot weather.

This means:

Drinking plenty of water to keep hydrated

Staying in the shade or a cool part of the house

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Taking extra precautions to keep babies and young children cool and hydrated

Checking on elderly or vulnerable neighbours

Sue Cousland, Divisional Director for Lincolnshire at EMAS said: “We need each and every person in Lincolnshire to take this heat warning extremely seriously and to do everything they can to stay well to prevent additional pressure on the NHS.

“We continue to experience immense pressure on our ambulance service and our staff are working phenomenally hard to reach the sickest and most severely injured patients as quickly as possible.

“Calling 999 for medical help should be a last resort, after you have tried self-care, your local pharmacy, your GP, NHS111 Online and your local Urgent Treatment Centre.

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“If you do call need to call 999 for medical help, you will go through several stages of assessment which may include a call back from one of our control room Paramedics or Nurses to ensure we are prioritising the patients who need our help first.

Patients experiencing less serious illnesses or injuries may experience an extended wait for an ambulance, so if you are asked by our 999-control room if you can make your own way to hospital, please do so – either via taxi or asking a friend or family member to drive you.

“This will allow us to continue to respond to patients who need our ambulances in an emergency”.

Avoiding heat exhaustion:

Drinking plenty of water will help keep you hydrated and avoid unpleasant symptoms such as a headache and cramps. It can also prevent illnesses such as heat exhaustion, which can lead to heatstroke.

The symptoms of heat exhaustion include:

A headache

Dizziness and confusion

Loss of appetite and feeling sick

Excessive sweating

Cramps

Being very thirsty

A high temperature

Fast breathing or pulse

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If you do experience these symptoms, sit in the shade, drink plenty of water and if they do not improve, seek advice from your GP out of hours service, NHS 111 Online or local pharmacy.

To find your nearest services you can search at www.nhs.uk

With 50 miles of coastline in Lincolnshire, a huge number of visitors are expected across the region this summer.

Skegness alone has a year-round population of 21,000, but in the summer months this can swell to 250,000 people.