Last year, ambulances were called over a bad nightmare, a lost walking stick, and other non-emergencies. More than a quarter of the one million calls received by the NHS’s South Western Ambulance Service Trust (SWAST) received in 2024 did not require an ambulance.
Other time-wasting calls were made over lost keys, a hurt finger from playing football and someone who fell off a chair – who was already in hospital.
William Lee, from the SWAST, said “inappropriate” calls tie up emergency lines and “divert valuable resources away from those in genuine need”.
The SWAST said it manages roughly 2,560 incidents a day, rising to over 3,000 on busy days. The service covers Bristol, Cornwall, Devon, Somerset, Dorset, Wiltshire and Gloucestershire.
Lee said people should call 999 “responsibly and only for life-threatening emergencies”.
“We understand that some callers with non-urgent complaints genuinely need help, but it’s essential to keep 999 available for those who are facing the most critical emergencies,” he said.
In 2023, the South West had some of the longest ambulance handover times in England – meaning the time from the ambulance arriving at hospital to being handed over to A&E staff.
In 2024, NHS data showed that South West hospitals had the worst transfer times in England, with 40% of patients waiting over an hour compared to a nationwide average of 8.8%.
Executive medical director Dr Matthew Thomas asked the public last year “to realise there are more ways to access the help that you need than calling an ambulance and going to the emergency department.
“It’s everyone working together to make sure we get the right help to the right patients when they need it.”
Options for non-life-threatening emergencies include contacting 111, your GP, or going to a pharmacy.