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The diagram below affords a comparison between the periods of peak demand for
home and road accident cases and maternity admissions.
The Accident section is operational throughout the 24 hours every day. At 18 of the
accident ambulance stations, in addition to one ambulance reserved for emergency calls,
there are either one or two supplementary vehicles operating for 16 hours each day.
These vehicles are fully equipped for emergency work but can be deployed to assist
the General section by undertaking any removals which the general station ambulances
are unable to deal with as promptly as the circumstances require. This arrangement
reduces ' stand by periods to a minimum. The increase since 1948 in the number of
emergency calls has been met by increasing the number of accident ambulance stations
from 16 in 1947 to 20 in 1958 and by placing at certain of these stations additional
ambulances. The fleet of ambulances attached to the accident section was thereby
increased from 32 in 1947 to 47 in 1958. Even so, an analysis of calls during one week
in 1958 showed that 25 per cent of all calls received could not be responded to by the
nearest Accident ambulance station because the vehicles and crews at those stations
were already engaged on other urgent work and that at certain 'peak' periods this
figure rose to 43 per cent. The full complement of drivers attendants and vehicles
attached to the Accident section is 350 men and 49 ambulances which are controlled
and deployed from headquarters. In 1958 they dealt with 99,188 emergencies and
undertook 100,047 General removals.
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