Pilot 111 non-emergency number for the publicPosted in News on 28/07/2009 20:37
Comment from Jonathan Fox concerning the pilot 111 non-emergency number for the public The ambulance service responded to nearly 7.5 million 999 calls last year of which around 27% were classed as Category C or non immediately serious or life threatening. Any proposals that might help reduce the demand on the ambulance service at a time when 999 calls continue to rise by around 3.5% annually is to be welcomed. It is to be hoped there will be robust terms of reference for the proposed new non-emergency 111 number to try to address the significant number of Cat C calls which continue to compromise the ambulance service's ability to respond to Cat A and B calls. There remains a view held by some that an ambulance is a right irrespective of the nature of the problem and is often the result of a misplaced perception that this will result in a faster access to the healthcare system irrespective of the clinical need. This is not the case and simply results in the inevitable delays that occur for people needing a 999 ambulance for a true emergency. In December 2006, London Ambulance Service announced a six month trial of a "no send policy" to calls of a trivial nature. Since that time 999 calls have risen by over 2 million in England and will continue to rise exponentially unless a brake is imposed on the unsustainable demands being placed on our profession and the highly skilled men and women who respond to these calls on a daily basis. Ends: Jonathan Fox,
Press Officer
Association of Professional Ambulance Personnel
Phone: 07702 606137 The ambulance service responded to nearly 7.5 million 999 calls last year of which around 27% were classed as Category C or non immediately serious or life threatening. Any proposals that might help reduce the demand on the ambulance service at a time when 999 calls continue to rise by around 3.5% annually is to be welcomed. It is to be hoped there will be robust terms of reference for the proposed new non-emergency 111 number to try to address the significant number of Cat C calls which continue to compromise the ambulance service's ability to respond to Cat A and B calls. There remains a view held by some that an ambulance is a right irrespective of the nature of the problem and is often the result of a misplaced perception that this will result in a faster access to the healthcare system irrespective of the clinical need. This is not the case and simply results in the inevitable delays that occur for people needing a 999 ambulance for a true emergency. In December 2003, London Ambulance Service announced a six month trial of a "no send policy" to calls of a trivial nature. Since that time 999 calls have risen by over 2 million in England and will continue to rise exponentially unless a brake is imposed on the unsustainable demands being placed on our profession and the highly skilled men and women who respond to these calls on a daily basis. Ends: Jonathan Fox,
Press Officer
Association of Professional Ambulance Personnel
Phone: 07702 606137
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