Kent’s ambulance service is preparing for one of the busiest weekends of the year.

It has urged people to keep an eye on any elderly or vulnerable family, friends or neighbours over Easter and help ensure their medicine cabinets are stocked with useful and in-date medication.

GP surgeries will be closed on Good Friday and Easter Monday and the public have also been reminded to only call 999 in the event of a "serious emergency".

Last year South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (SECAmb) received more than 10,000 emergency calls between Good Friday and Easter Monday and sent a response to more than 8,500 incidents.

People are reminded that by dialing the NHS non-emergency number 111 they can get advice, have symptoms assessed, and be directed to the most appropriate medical care.

It is preparing for high demand and is expecting to handle well in excess of 20,000 calls across the four-day weekend.

SECamb says staff will be working “extremely hard” to ensure patients receive the help they require, is also urging people to prepare themselves to minimise their risk of requiring the help of the ambulance service.

It is reminding people to act now to pick up any required repeat prescriptions by contacting their GP surgery ahead of the weekend.

SECAmb head of resilience and specialist operations, Andy Cashman, said: “As ever, we’re expecting a very busy weekend and we know all our staff will rise to the challenge of this increase in demand.

“But we’re urging people to help us by only dialling 999 in the event of a serious emergency.

“As always we will be prioritising life-threatening calls so a call triaged as being a lower priority is likely to receive a longer response.

“Anyone faced with an emergency shouldn’t hesitate to call but we would urge anyone else who needs help to consider to consider the other options available to them including calling NHS 111 where staff can provide support and advice over the phone and refer patients to out-of-hours services where appropriate.

“Also, while pharmacies may not be operating their usual hours, they too can be a useful place where members of the public can receive expert advice on routine illnesses such as coughs and colds.

“We’re also strongly recommending people ensure they have arranged to collect any necessary repeat prescriptions for themselves or others and ensure their medicine cabinets are in stock and in date.”

When to call 999 for an ambulance:

• You think a patient is suffering from a heart attack (e.g. chest pain for more than 15 minutes)
• Sudden unexplained shortness of breath
• Heavy bleeding
• Unconsciousness (even if the patient has regained consciousness)
• Traumatic back/spinal/neck pain
• You think the patient's illness or injury is life-threatening
• You think the illness or injury may become worse, or even life-threatening on the way to the hospital
• Moving the patient/s without skilled people could cause further injury
• The patient needs the skills or equipment of the ambulance service and its personnel

Residents in east Kent can also make sure they are prepared for Easter by downloading the Health Help Now app to their smartphones.

It was launched by the NHS in Kent and Medway to help people find the right treatment for health problems, especially when they are not sure what to do or who to contact.

The app also shows when services, such as pharmacies are open or closed – which is invaluable on bank holidays, evenings and weekends.

You get the app at www.healthhelpnow.nhs.uk or at the Google Play or App Store.

Health experts say a well-stocked medicine cabinet should include:

• Pain killers (paracetamol and ibuprofen - including child versions for the under 12s)
• A thermometer
• Plasters, bandages and sticking tape
• Antiseptic cream
• Sunscreen
• Rehydration salts
• Indigestion treatments
• Antihistamines (such as hay fever tablets and insect bite creams)