Is it an emergency? The baffling calls wasting NHS time
BY Aero Healthcare
5th Oct 2023 Health
7 min read
Every year, thousands of 999 calls turn out to be a hoax or not a real emergency. We hear about five actual callouts that wasted emergency services' time
Time-wasters cost the NHS and emergency services millions each year. Between 2018 and 2022, hoax 999 calls wasted around £6.5 million worth of resources, from the cost of a callout to the repercussions afterwards.
What many fail to realise is that hoaxes or unnecessary callouts significantly reduce the services that emergency professionals can offer. Every hoax takes precious time and resources away from someone in need.
Keen to understand the impact of these time-waster calls, Aero Healthcare, leading supplier of global first aid consumables, have collected first-hand experiences from emergency workers, from non-urgent medical needs to disgruntled neighbours.
These stories are just some of the thousands experienced by emergency services workers every single day.
Tales of NHS time-wasters
The birthday party
Calling out an emergency service when there is no emergency is a serious offense
“One day, we received a callout for a house fire and sent a pump (fire engine) en route to the location. It was standard procedure: gather all equipment and ensure all apparatus was working and on board before departure.
"Upon arrival, we noticed a lot of noise coming from the garden. Instead of arriving at a suspected house fire, we’d actually arrived at a child’s birthday party.
"The child’s parents were mortified when we entered and explained the situation. It turned out that the child wanted to show off to their friends by getting a fire engine on blue lights to show up at their house.
"After speaking to the child’s parents, we spoke to the child about the seriousness of calling the emergency services and how it could have taken away time from someone in need. The child learnt their lesson that day, but many more still do this. Whether they want blue lights to turn up at a birthday party, school or just for a laugh, it’s actually a very serious offence.”
"In 2020 alone, the Northumbria Police control room received well over 22,000 abandoned calls"
According to Northumbria Police, incidental 999 calls are also just as challenging for call centres to manage. In 2020 alone, their control room received well over 22,000 abandoned calls.
Due to procedure, each call that is dropped must be investigated just in case it’s a real-life scenario where a person is seriously in danger. After investigating all legitimate calls, it was determined around 8,500 of these were accidental.
Prescription collection
There are many myths and misconceptions about the emergency services in general. One, in particular, is that all ambulance crews have access to local pharmacies and the right to dispense prescriptions. This is false. Unfortunately, some have called an ambulance out for this reason.
“As a community first responder, I’m asked to attend incidents when an ambulance is too far away. In this incident, I arrived on the scene expecting to find someone suffering from chest pains.
"As the first responder, it’s my duty to carry out the primary survey and assess the risks to me and the casualty before I started any treatment. From the moment I entered the scene, it was clear that the casualty was not in need of medical support at all.
"What transpired was that the person in question believed all paramedics had keys to the local chemists, which gave them the authority to grab any medications. After speaking to the individual, I also called control to cancel the ambulance.
"Fortunately, my intervention prevented the ambulance from being taken away from someone in need.”
Cold winter morning
Often in winter, neighbours will mistake steam from boiler flues for smoke and call 999
False alarms, whilst often innocent, can be incredibly disruptive to all emergency services. Most false alarms are raised when people can’t recognise if an incident is legitimate.
According to Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service, around one in three of their incidents are either false or unwanted alarms.
Some of these callouts could be avoided with a quick check of the scene, as long as it’s safe to do so and doesn’t put you at harm. These types of incidents are more commonly found in office buildings or schools, but on many cold winter mornings, they can come from concerned neighbours.
"Every fire service across the country will have been called out due to boiler flues"
“The winter months are often some of the toughest, especially as the conditions change. With the weather being icy or extremely wet, we do see an increase in callouts as a result. Many of these are legitimate, such as a severe slip due to ice or animal rescue for flooded fields, but others aren’t.
"Every fire service across the country will have been called out due to boiler flues. Normally if these are obscured from view, concerned neighbours or bystanders will see the steam rising from them and presume it’s smoke.
"We’ve been called out for it many times because these well-meaning individuals don’t check to see if it is actually smoke or steam.”
Suspected heart attack
Incidents, such as suspected sudden cardiac arrest or anaphylaxis, are now being categorised to help ambulance services determine the right level of response. Both of these are considered category one calls, which demand a response time of 15 minutes by an ambulance or medical services.
Conditions such as heart attacks or strokes are positioned as category two, meaning response time should be within 40 minutes. By categorising incidents, it enables ambulance services to manage the types and number of 999 calls they attend.
Of course, in the instance that an ambulance is further away than the response time allows, it’s possible that a community first responder will attend the scene before other medical services.
These are normally individuals in the local area who volunteer their time and can be paged when their support is needed. As vital assets to the community, they’re often the only option for the sickest patients.
"Heart attacks or strokes are positioned as category two, meaning response time should be within 40 minutes"
“Rural areas or communities far away from hospitals often don’t have the luxury of being close to an ambulance. That’s another reason why community first responders are vital, especially for all category calls. We can relieve some of the pressures the ambulance services face.
"In one instance, I was called out to attend a category two callout, which was for a suspected heart attack. The tell-tale signs of a heart attack tend to feel like a discomfort in the chest that’s abrupt and doesn’t fade. You’re also likely to feel sick or short of breath. If left untreated, it could be life-altering.
"As I attended the scene, I noticed there were quite a few family members at the home, which immediately made me think I might have been too late. Even if this is the case, it’s still my duty to carry out any vital checks and feedback event information to control.
"Entering the home, I noticed a lot of noise and commotion that felt more like a family party than anything else. I asked the first person I saw to tell me where the casualty was, but they didn’t seem to know what I was talking about.
"It turns out that they’d only been eating sweets all day. Their diagnosis was indigestion"
"There was a room absolutely brimmed with people, so I checked in there. Once again, no one was forthcoming with any information. I felt like a nuisance.
"Once I’d finally determined who the casualty was, every other family member was also in the room gathered around the TV. It’s blaring loud and I’m trying to talk to the casualty about the issues.
"They eventually told me they had felt a slight twinge and discomfort in their chest, but promptly told me it came and went. That’s how I knew it wasn’t a heart attack.
"It turns out that they’d been drinking beer since the morning and had only been eating sweets all day. Their diagnosis was indigestion.”
Disgruntled neighbour
If you are planning to have a bonfire in your garden, alert the fire services first to avoid any mistaken callouts
It’s not uncommon for the police to be called because of a dispute between neighbours, especially if they need someone to mediate the peace. In more extreme cases, disgruntled neighbours have dialled 999 for petty reasons, such as hosepipe use or controlled bonfires.
The fire service must be responsive to any fires reported, including controlled bonfires. Organisations like Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service also mitigate some of these calls by enabling individuals to formally report when they’re planning to have a bonfire.
If you’re planning a bonfire, you can visit the website for your nearest fire service and follow their safety instructions.
They may also have a telephone number or email address you can contact to let them know you are having a controlled fire. These contact details will be displayed on their sites, meaning there’s no need to call 999 to report your bonfire.
"Disgruntled neighbours have dialled 999 for petty reasons, such as hosepipe use"
“We receive hundreds of calls every year from people regarding bonfires. If we know they are registered and reported to us prior, we won’t necessarily act unless we receive multiple calls from various sources.
"Unfortunately, for every call we do receive about an unreported bonfire, we are obligated to check it. We’ve had calls from individuals claiming their neighbours are having bonfires at the wrong time of day. We’ve had calls from neighbours reporting a fire they can see from a distance, but not getting any closer to check if it’s controlled.
Every time we get these calls, we have to check them out.”
How to avoid wasting NHS time
Education and understanding are important, especially to avoid unnecessary callouts or wasting valuable time. As the UK emergency services are already incredibly stretched, it’s important to consider whether your call or visit is urgent.
If it can be treated by a pharmacist, for example, there’s no need to head to A&E. Likewise, if you’re planning a bonfire, let your neighbours know beforehand. You can also invest in first aid training to spot signs of illnesses or injuries and know how to react to them. There’s plenty we can all do to reduce the burden on our emergency services.
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