Inappropriate 999 calls put lives at risk

South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (SWASFT) is urging people only to call 999 in a genuine emergency this Christmas.

Demand for the service is likely to peak between Saturday 22 December and Boxing Day when staff are expecting to deal with more than 3,100 incidents a day.

Managers warn that unnecessary calls over the busy festive period could delay emergency help for people in real need of an ambulance.

SWASFT has released a montage of clips from 10 inappropriate calls it received from the public recently, as examples of people calling 999 for the wrong reasons.

The 10 inappropriate calls were made to SWASFT because:

• A man had found in an injured seagull in his house.
• A woman’s dog had died.
• A man was having strange dreams.
• A woman’s finger nail had come off.
• A woman had punched a wall.
• A man was sweating when using his computer.
• A man wanted a lift home.
• A man wanted some non-urgent medical advice.
• A woman wanted to be transferred to the 101 police non-emergency number, which costs 15p a minute to call, because she had run out of phone credit. 
• A woman wanted to complain about the noise of ambulance sirens.

It comes as part of SWASFT’s ‘12 Days of Christmas’ campaign, which encourages people to look after themselves over the festive season and to use the ambulance service wisely.

People are reminded only to call 999 when someone is seriously ill or injured, and their life may be at risk.

David Fletcher, Head of SWASFT Clinical Hubs, said: “The 999 service is only to be used for extremely urgent or life-threatening emergencies, and we urge people to use it wisely.

“If you call because someone is unconscious, not breathing, or has serious bleeding, you are making the right call.

“But calling for an ambulance when it is not absolutely necessary puts additional pressure on our limited resources, and may mean we cannot reach those who are most in need.

"During peak periods, like the festive season, every inappropriate call has the potential to put a life at risk and delay a response to a genuine emergency.

“Please think carefully before calling 999 and ask yourself – ‘is it a real emergency?’”

For non-emergency incidents: phone NHS 111, see a GP or a pharmacist, or visit an NHS Walk in Centre.

Photo courtesy of South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust