A London paramedic took to the blogosphere as he tweeted about all of the alcohol-related incidents he attends on board the Service’s ‘booze bus.’
On Friday 9 December, Brian Hayes will use the Service’s Twitter page, www.twitter.com/Ldn_Ambulance, to highlight his colleague’s work on the specially adapted ambulance to look after patients who have had too much to drink.
Ahead of the festive season, the initiative will help the Service to draw attention to the health risks people take by overdoing it with alcohol.
Brian said: “Alcohol misuse is a major cause of illness, injury and death. It impairs your judgement, affects the quality of sleep you get and, in the longer term, it can lead to serious illnesses like liver or heart disease.
“People should go out and have a good time, but by working on the ‘booze bus’ I see on a regular basis how people put themselves at risk and the state they end up in.”
Last year (2010/11) staff helped 68,792 patients who had had too much to drink – an increase of 8 per cent on the year before.
Brian added: “There are a number of things that people can do to help themselves, including eating before going out, having the odd soft drink, looking after your friends and planning your journey home.”
