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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think most people who phone for an ambulance could make their own way to hospital?

359 replies

fillmeup · 12/01/2023 22:13

Either by getting family or friends to drive them there or getting a taxi. Obviously if you’re on the floor with a broken hip etc and can’t be moved or had a severe stroke an ambulance is required but most people I’ve heard on the news recently talking about how long they have waited, I’ve seriously wondered why they waited 20 hours (or thereabouts) and didn’t just get a lift.

OP posts:
Circumferences · 12/01/2023 22:14

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by MNHQ. Here's a link to our Talk Guidelines.

Thekormachameleon · 12/01/2023 22:15

Yanbu

The amount of people I speak to who, when asked 'is there anyway you can make your way to hospital' reply with yes which begs the question why call 999 in the first place

Yourearealboy · 12/01/2023 22:16

There was a phone in on the radio the other day and a call handler said they do tell people to make their way to hospital if it’s not an ambulance situation but that, if the caller insists, they can’t refuse to send one even if it’s for a broken nail.

PinkPlantCase · 12/01/2023 22:16

The times I have needed an ambulance I couldn’t breathe. Should I have got a lift instead?

Calmnesspersonified · 12/01/2023 22:16

I think people worry that if they need medical attention on route then they'd be better off in an ambulance. However in a lot of cases I think you're right and a car/taxi would be fine. I've rung an ambulance twice, once for a stranger with chest pains and once for my dad after surgery complications. Both needed an ambulance and needed medical attention on route.

gretti · 12/01/2023 22:17

Really depends on the situation. I'd like to think the majority would make their own way there and I'm sure they would if it was urgent.

My son is 13 and I can't even remember how many times we have been blue lighted to the hospital for a bad asthma attack. Even when I've called 111 they would send an ambulance straight away. If he needed one now with things as they are I'd absolutely drive him there myself.

BabyOnBoard90 · 12/01/2023 22:17

Where will you park? What if you're not able to drive? What if the people that can drive you aren't in close proximity? What if you can't afford parking?

Antigonads · 12/01/2023 22:17

I’ve driven myself with a dislocated shoulder, got a taxi with a broken arm and DH and friends have taken me on several occasions.

Ambulance twice, called by school and after an RTA on horseback.

YANBU

Sartre · 12/01/2023 22:18

I thought this when I read an article earlier about a man who died waiting for an ambulance when he was having a heart attack.

When our toddler DS had breathing difficulties we drove him to A&E because it was 20 minutes for us to do this vs waiting at home for an ambulance to come first for probably much longer than that. Just didn’t make sense to do that.

sometimes12387 · 12/01/2023 22:19

BabyOnBoard90 · 12/01/2023 22:17

Where will you park? What if you're not able to drive? What if the people that can drive you aren't in close proximity? What if you can't afford parking?

I don't think any of these are valid reasons for calling an ambulance.

Swannning · 12/01/2023 22:20

Well in theory if DP had a heart attack, I could probably manhandle him in to the car to get underway, but if he went into arrest / needed oxygen etc then nothing I can do about that.

If he had a fall then yes I could probably drag him with a bit of help but I am not an expert so wouldn't know how to carry him safely etc etc

Mincepiepies · 12/01/2023 22:20

Yabu I’m pretty sure the majority of people would get themselves to hospital if they could and encouraging people to make their own way will just result in more deaths when people who have had accidents move themselves when they shouldn’t , or need treatment en route and don’t get it so die.

TheUsualChaos · 12/01/2023 22:20

PinkPlantCase · 12/01/2023 22:16

The times I have needed an ambulance I couldn’t breathe. Should I have got a lift instead?

Oh come on. The OP is clearly worded to mean that if it's serious/life threatening then of course an ambulance is justified.

Chronic abuse of the service which is already struggling due of years and years of under funding is a real issue.

BabyOnBoard90 · 12/01/2023 22:21

sometimes12387 · 12/01/2023 22:19

I don't think any of these are valid reasons for calling an ambulance.

Show quote history

They're not intended to be.

A valid reason would be an emergency - in which an ambulance could be necessary.

Chubbernut · 12/01/2023 22:21

Yourearealboy · 12/01/2023 22:16

There was a phone in on the radio the other day and a call handler said they do tell people to make their way to hospital if it’s not an ambulance situation but that, if the caller insists, they can’t refuse to send one even if it’s for a broken nail.

That’s bollocks. They frequently refuse to send ambulances.

Original poster
fillmeup · 12/01/2023 22:23

I’m not suggesting you drive yourself if you can’t breathe, but if someone could drive you to hospital quicker than waiting for an ambulance surely you’d be better off.

OP posts:
Kinneddar · 12/01/2023 22:23

Where will you park? What if you're not able to drive? What if the people that can drive you aren't in close proximity? What if you can't afford parking

Ffs not knowing where to park or not having money for the car park are NOT reasons to call an ambulance. No wonder the system is so broken if that's how people think

SilliusSoddus · 12/01/2023 22:23

Presumably those in a state to make themselves to hospital, did so, and therefore never have tales of 20 hour waits to tell?

Honeyroar · 12/01/2023 22:23

I’ve only ever had ambulances for my parents (neither of whom could walk due to their issue - both collapsed) and my husband with post surgery sepsis (ended up with emergency surgery and 10 days in intensive care).

One of the issues at my local A&E is there’s barely any parking and nowhere to stop close by and drop off, and the hospital seem to let inpatients that smoke take all the “self service” wheelchairs to sit in outside the entrance while chatting and smoking. So it all adds up to making it really difficult to get someone that can’t walk into the A&E.

Probablymagrat · 12/01/2023 22:24

Because when I was having a heart attack they sent a local first responder who turned up wth a defribulator and oxygen within 10 minutes in his own car.

You can only access them via 999. And this was a year ago when they only took half an hour to get there.

At present with Ambulances taking 90 minutes that could be life saving in some circumstances.

DuchessOfDisco · 12/01/2023 22:24

It’s a tricky one because if dh was having a heart attack I would call for an ambulance so they could treat him at home and on the way to hospital, and get him treated quicker when arriving at hospital (rather than trying to find a parking space, walking to a&e and having to go through triage etc). Also if you phone 999 they will say an urgent ambulance is on its way so you would think it would be there in under 10minutes. If they were honest though, and said it won’t be there for half hour or so, I’d just drive, but they don’t, they tell you to stay and wait, and you don’t want to leave incase it turns up as soon as you’ve left.

Mushroo · 12/01/2023 22:25

Agree OP. The current message on the radio is to only call for critical reasons.

My understanding based on messaging growing up was you should only ever call an ambulance for critical reasons? Not just because there’s a strike!

Not being able to park or not being to afford parking are not reasons, it’s not a free taxi service.

That being said, a few years ago my DH had a
head injury and woke up with a numb face (but fine in himself).

Called 111 and they insisted on dispatching an ambulance despite me offering to drive (would
have been quicker to drive as we live so close).

plodding5 · 12/01/2023 22:25

I have a family member who is a paramedic and from what they've told me they're often on jobs that don't warrant an ambulance.
I also think there's a misconception that if you arrive to hospital by ambulance you're seen quicker but you're triaged however you arrive.

ThreeRingCircus · 12/01/2023 22:25

Thekormachameleon · 12/01/2023 22:15

Yanbu

The amount of people I speak to who, when asked 'is there anyway you can make your way to hospital' reply with yes which begs the question why call 999 in the first place

Exactly this. It's an unpopular fact to state but my best friend is a 999 call handler and says this all the time. There's lots of abuse of the system which means delays for those that genuinely need it.

LadyGardenersQuestionTime · 12/01/2023 22:26

I wouldn't say “most” but I would certainly say quite a few. And when you think that 40% of the people who get a c1 or c2 response (ie high priority calls) don't go to hospital at all it seems reasonable to deduce that quite a few of those didn’t need an ambulance response in the first place.

I don’t think this is all the fault of individuals though - the emergency services are extremely risk averse, people don’t know what’s happening to them, and sometimes it’s easier for the crew to just take the patient to hospital.

A paramedic friend badly-described her job as “i drive on blue lights to someone who couldn’t get a GP appointment, and call their GP and make an appointment for them”.

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