According to the Guardian newspaper, South Central Ambulance Service declared a critical incident in the early hours of Wednesday, 6th April after "extreme pressures" forced it to prioritise patients with life-threatening illnesses. According to the paper, this followed a huge volume of callouts on Tuesday and increased challenges in releasing some ambulances from busy acute hospitals. The ambulance trust has asked people only to call 999 in a life-threatening or serious emergency. Advice and help are available by calling 111 or your GP surgery, or visitng your community pharmacist.