PEOPLE in need of care have been urged to only call 999 if there is a possible risk to life, or if somebody is seriously ill.

The North West Ambulance Service said it is struggling to deal with the volume of callers to the emergency number.

The service’s plea came just days after health bosses ordered staff to cancel non-essential, non-clinical work to deal with an ‘unprecedented’ number of patients at Royal Blackburn Hospital.

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Head of service, Peter Mulchay, said: “The call volume we are currently experiencing is unprecedented and we are asking people of the north west to assist us by only calling in real emergencies, and first of all to consider the alternatives available to them.”

The public has been asked to drive themselves to A&E, where they will be given the same priority as patients arriving by ambulance, to take care of themselves at home, talk to a pharmacist or make an appointment with their GP, or to visit a walk-in or urgent care centre.

Mr Mulchay said: “Our crews are working extremely hard to reach those who urgently need our help as quickly as possible.

“Because of the extreme rise in calls, it is more important we triage our calls thoroughly and there is no doubt that those without life-threatening or potentially life-threatening conditions will find themselves waiting some time for an ambulance or be advised to seek alternatives.”

Last week, the Lancashire Telegraph revealed East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust dealt were dealing with a daily average of 572 patients — up from 479 last winter.

Many of the patients were elderly people suffering from chest infections.

Chief nurse Chris Pearson said: “Although we have not yet had to take any actions to restrict attendance, we have implemented some measures to enable the hospital to continue providing safe and effective care, despite the pressures being faced by the staff, and to ensure that any disruption to patients is minimised.

“The pressures are continuing for now but we are hopeful that this is a short term situation during which the effectiveness of the hospital can be maintained.”