NHS Wales sees summer rise in inappropriate 999 calls

Posted 19/08/2012

NHS Wales reports that men dialling 999 to report hangovers are among a list of inappropriate calls putting emergency services under sustained pressure.

The Welsh Ambulance Service has seen a rise in such calls this summer, when A&E Departments are already busy and under pressure.

Other examples of inappropriate 999 calls include: Patients dialling 999 in the afternoon after alcohol wears off and they find themselves in pain from injuries the night before;A woman who said she was bleeding badly from her hand was attended by an ambulance crew, who found that she had a minor scratch from her cat;A man was taken by ambulance to University Hospital Cardiff after reporting stomach pains in a pub. On arrival he ran off, shouting “thanks for the lift mate”.Dr Chris Jones, NHS Wales’ acting Chief Medical Officer says: “We are seeing a growing number of inappropriate emergency calls to the ambulance service.A 999 call should only be made in the event of a serious medical emergency, such as when life is in immediate danger.

All emergency health services are very busy and patients should only attend departments (A&E) if they are very badly hurt or seriously ill”.

Julie Crossley, a medical injury lawyer at Ashtons Legal comments: “This is totally irresponsible. These calls could potentially lead to genuine patients having to wait and their conditions worsening because of the mindless actions of others”.