Misuse of ambulances

[Lampshade7]

I work for one of the ambulance trusts. We have many, many people who phone up several times a day wanting ambulances. They are sent out but never need them. Obviously this is a vast waste of resources and time. If I had my way I would not send an ambulance no matter what the reason. One of my colleagues was horrified by this and said that they should be sent just in case. I think stuff them, you can cry wolf once too often. IABU?

@Youdoyoutoday

I agree, had to call an ambulance for my mum who'd fallen down the stairs, waited hours. Crew told us one person had called 4 times in 3 days for a common cold insisting they be taken in to hospital

I'd blacklist that person with no qualms!

IMO it’d make more sense to charge people who demand ambulances for really ludicrous reasons. Maybe not the first time, but certainly for repeat offenders.

To not send one is unacceptable.
Is there a procedure in place to escalate repeat callers? Something like going to a supervisor and saying “Look, this guy calls every day with X. y and Z complaint, and we send an ambulance as per procedure but paramedics never take him in/he’s always sent straight back home from A&E. I feel like he’s a time waster, what can we do?”

I had asthma problems this week and went to A and E by taxi (dh with dc). The hospital staff kept asking why I didn’t call an ambulance- maybe because I had a better chance getting to hospital and getting help!

@TooManyPJs

I don't believe this for a second. 999 call handlers don't just send out ambulances to everyone who phones. They are trained to triage the calls.

Yes. They are, but serial fakers have ways and means to bypass the triageing stage.

Faking difficulty in breathing, calling at different times to avoid the same call handlers, calling from different phones/SIMs, withholding their number, getting someone to call on their behalf after conning them with fake symptoms and calling from different addresses.

You clearly have no idea how devious some people are.

calling at different times to avoid the same call handlers, calling from different phones/SIMs

The woman in the article I linked to above had two mobiles (a bit odd in itself) and a landline that she used to call non-stop. She called 97 times - on Christmas Day - already one of their busiest days of the year. At times, she was using both mobiles at the same time, so it ended up with two different call-handlers able to hear themselves both in their workplace and via this woman's home. However mentally compromised anybody may be in being convinced they need an ambulance, nobody would feel the need to make TWO simultaneous calls.

Of the 14 call handlers there to serve the entire population of the area, she was effectively tying up 3 of them - when there was never actually anything in her circumstances requiring an emergency call-out anyway.

@BattenbergdowntheHatches

It clearly is some form of mental health issue or distress - because calling an ambulance multiple times a day or week is hardly a fun pastime

You’d think not wouldn’t you? But it often is nothing more than laziness, inability to comprehend danger, need for drama due to boredom/shit life syndrome or self-righteous anger because they can’t see a GP/get what they want from a GP.

Until being thick as mince and/or a selfish tosspot is declared a MH condition, and all sufferers are locked up, there will still be unnecessary callouts.

Exactly. I think the posters who are saying that everyone who calls an ambulance MUST have one have no idea of the utter stupidity of some people. Being stupid an an attention seeker is NOT a mental health issue.

I’m a police dispatcher and we have to jump through hoops to have an ambulance attend, However what IS good in Scotland is that a lot of calls to ambulance are referred to clinicians who will phone the caller back and based on the further information they glean, can and will refuse ambulance attendance.

The police are in a very similar situation with repeat callers and attention seekers, and it’s got so much worse over that last 10/12 years. There’s a sector of society who can’t or don’t know how to take responsibility for themselves now and emergency services just don’t have the resources to nanny them the way they used to

I have to agree with the op. Time wasters should not be pandered to.
I have known people ring 999 and ask for an ambulance when they wanted to get to the town where the ambulance is, cheaper and quicker than a taxi.
They are endangering the lives of others and also taking valuable resources.

what IS good in Scotland is that a lot of calls to ambulance are referred to clinicians who will phone the caller back and based on the further information they glean, can and will refuse ambulance attendance.

This sounds very wise. I don't see why an ambulance is seen as the golden prize, when it often isn't the most appropriate help for somebody's circumstances.

Keeping on the hospital theme, it reminds me of these sad stories you hear where patients are brought regular, carefully-planned nutritious meals, but nobody ever seems to care or notice the ones who are unable to feed themselves - and just take them away again, assuming that they've done what they were required to do. In the same way, if somebody does need a carefully-tailored course of appropriate MH treatment, how on earth does sending out a van containing paramedics, defibrillators and stretchers help anybody?

A girl rang today because her friend had been "vomiting all weekend" and "couldn't even keep water down".

After ascertaining she wasn't pregant and telling her not to call an ambulance for possible norovirus, I put her through to 111 for medical advice.

She seriously thought her friend would be seen in A&E for winter vomiting bug.

There's a complete lack of preparedness for bugs and viruses and an utter lack of knowledge of how these bugs work.

@Gingernaut

A girl rang today because her friend had been "vomiting all weekend" and "couldn't even keep water down".

After ascertaining she wasn't pregant and telling her not to call an ambulance for possible norovirus, I put her through to 111 for medical advice.

She seriously thought her friend would be seen in A&E for winter vomiting bug.

There's a complete lack of preparedness for bugs and viruses and an utter lack of knowledge of how these bugs work.

Or bad dehydration then? If she can’t keep water down?

People might panic in a situation like that, have a bit of compassion instead of ridiculing them.

I put them through to 111 so they could get solid medical advice.

They seriously called a hospital to ask the waiting times (um, hours) and asked if an ambulance was a good idea (no).

Well good you triaged them to the right place then, perhaps they couldn’t get through to 111, you can’t always, the wait times for a callback can shit, no one can see a GP, they might have done a questionnaire online that told them to call an ambulance. You’re being too harsh.

I think if ambulance get there and see its not an emergency they should beable to leave and tell them to make their own way hospital.

You would not send them for any reason?? This is obviously a fake post

I can't send an ambulance, only pass people on to 111, 101 or 999.

The thing I was trying to point out was that self care, seeking advice from medically qualified people and so forth wasn't first on their list.

Call hospital to check waiting times at A & E, seek advice from an unqualified switchboard operator and call ambulance was all they could think of.

I woke up last week and my back was spasmed. I couldn't stand up. I know why, it was from a work task. I called 999 (in middle east) and they came in 7 minutes, gave me iiv muscle relaxers and pain relief and put me on the bed and booked me in for an MRI that day. I pay for government health ate, it was around 60 pounds. Why would you not contribute to your health?