The Ambulance service is advising people on New Year’s Eve to drink sensibly as they are under pressure.
The Welsh Ambulance Service has declared a “critical incident” and on Monday evening said more than 340 calls was waiting to be answered.
Many people were waiting for “many hours” in the back of an ambulance to be handed over to hospitals.
Speaking on BBC Breakfast, chief executive Jason Killens said, “People out celebrating can help us tonight by of course, having a good time, but drinking sensibly, eating before they go out and looking after their friends.”
He added, “I want to apologise to patients who waited too long yesterday and continue to wait this morning.”
He was asked over the increased demand, “This pressure across the health system is a result of flu and Covid and other respiratory viruses circulating through the winter.
“What we have seen in the last 24 to 48 hours is an acute accumulation of those pressures.”
Speaking on Monday, head of service Stephen Sheldon said: “The public can help by only calling 999 in the event of a life-threatening emergency – that’s a cardiac arrest, chest pain or breathing difficulties, loss of consciousness, choking or catastrophic bleeding.
“If it’s not a life-threatening emergency, then it’s important you use one of the many alternatives to 999, starting with the symptom checkers on our NHS 111 Wales website as well as your GP, pharmacist and minor injuries unit.
“We must protect our precious resources for those who need them the most.”
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