REVEALED: Inappropriate calls made to Wiltshire's Ambulance Service
It's part of their 'Make the right call' campaign to get people to only use 999 in a genuine emergency
Last updated 15th Dec 2020
South Western Ambulance Service has released some audio from "inappropriate calls" they've received.
It has released a selection made to its control room to show examples of the wrong reasons people have dialled 999.
LISTEN:
One man spoke to the service after being concerned about kissing a woman who had herpes:
Meanwhile, a second shows a different man calling because he had two ingrowing toe nails:
SWASFT say that other inappropriate calls have been made because:
- A man's central heating wasn't working and he was cold
- A caller was concerned a woman would overheat because she couldn't take her coat off
- A woman thought a beanbag was a human being not moving and did not approach to check
ONLY CALL IN AN EMERGENCY
SWASFT are warning people that a misuse of its 999 service is putting people's lives at risk.
They're urging people to only call if it's a genuine emergency as they're expecting a huge increase in demand over the Christmas period.
19,108 incidents were dealt with last week, a rise of around 200 incidents a day compared to normal.
A SWASFT spokesperson said:
"Our 999 service should only be used when someone is seriously injured or ill, and their life is at risk.
Inappropriate calls are a waste of our time, put additional pressure on our limited resources, and may mean we cannot reach those who are most in need of our help.
Please 'Make the right call' this winter. If you someone is unconscious, not breathing, or has serious bleeding, 999 is the right number to call.
But if you call for an ambulance when you don't really need one, you are misusing the 999 service and may well be delaying our emergency care to others."
People with a medical problem and aren't sure what to do should contact NHS 111.