The Welsh Ambulance Service has revealed a concerning number of inappropriate 999 calls received last year, including cases of chipped teeth, escaped pets, and stuck fingers. They emphasize that the emergency service is for life-or-death situations and urge the public to use common sense when calling. A new triage process aims to direct less urgent calls to more appropriate care pathways.
The Welsh Ambulance Service has shared details of some of the inappropriate calls made to 999 in the past year.Among them were someone who had chipped a tooth, someone whose pet alligator had escaped and someone whose finger was stuck in a beer bottle. One person wanted an ambulance because they were locked out of their house, while another called 999 for a toenail-cutting mishap.last year, 63,836 were not a life or death emergency – an average of 175 calls a day.
“That’s people in cardiac arrest, those with chest pain or breathing difficulties, loss of consciousness, choking, severe allergic reactions, catastrophic bleeding or someone having a stroke. That could be sending an advanced paramedic practitioner at a scheduled time, a signpost to the patient’s GP, self-care advice or something else.
“We know it’s confusing to work out how to access NHS services and which healthcare professional is best placed to help, especially when you or your loved one is ill, injured and in distress.website should be your first port of call for advice and information, or you could call 111 if it’s urgent, and our call handlers will tell you what to do next.
“It’s also important to ensure you have a well-stocked medicine cabinet for things which can be treated at home, like cut fingers, headaches and sore throats.”
AMBULANCE EMERGENCY SERVICES NON-EMERGENCY CALLS NHS TRIAGE
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