It comes following a “perfect storm” of rising patient demand and increase staff absence.
The military has been deployed to support the East Midlands Ambulance Service (EMAS).
Sixty military personnel will support EMAS with responding to non-emergency patients in the coming weeks.
EMAS says the move has been made following continued demand on the service and the number of colleagues who are unwell or self-isolating due to COVID-19.
It is one of several ambulance trusts in the country to be supported by the armed forces.
The military personnel will work alongside Urgent Care ambulance crews who attend non-emergency patients requiring inter-facility transfers or patients who have already been seen by a healthcare professional such as a GP who has decided that they need to go to hospital.
They will undergo a three-day familiarisation training course led by a Clinical Education team and will work 16 hours a day, seven days a week.
Bolster the workforce.
Ben Holdaway, Director of Operations at East Midlands Ambulance Service, said “As an ambulance service, the most important thing for us is that we are able to provide emergency care to our patients when they need it.
“Transmission rates of COVID-19 in the community have continued to rise, and we have seen an increased number of EMAS staff needing to self-isolate or be absent due to testing positive for COVID-19.
“Combined with the intense pressure the whole NHS system is under, and the high demand on our service, some of our less urgent and non-emergency patients are waiting longer for an ambulance than they should rightfully expect.
“Our new military colleagues will bolster the Urgent Care part of our service which attends non-emergency patients.
“This in turn will ensure our emergency ambulance crews can focus on attending the life-threatening and serious emergencies in our communities.
