‘999? I’ve got a wobbly tooth!’ – Non-emergency calls to Welsh Ambulance Service revealed

Among them was someone with a sore throat, someone with a wobbly tooth and someone with ointment in their eye.

 One person called 999 because they had accidentally swallowed mouthwash, while another called with a fishing hook in their finger.

Of the 414,118 incidents last year, 15% (62,454) were not appropriate for the ambulance service – roughly one in every seven.

The Trust is reminding the public to only call 999 if someone is seriously ill or injured.

Andy Swinburn, Executive Director of Paramedicine, said: “Our highly skilled staff are trained to deal with situations where immediate interventions are required because of the severity of a person’s condition.

“That’s things such as cardiac arrest, chest pain, breathing difficulties, loss of consciousness, choking, catastrophic bleeding and stroke.

“When people call 999 for things like a sore throat, it takes up the valuable time of our call handlers and clinicians, who could be helping patients with a genuine emergency who urgently us.

“Our message is simple – apply your common sense and help us protect our precious resources for those who need us most.”

Lee Brooks, Executive Director of Operations, added: “All of the calls highlighted today did not require an ambulance and could have been managed by a more appropriate service.

“In fact, people with these conditions will no longer be seen in-person by us at all under our new clinical model – instead, they’ll get advice over the phone, allowing us to prioritise and improve our response for patients having heart attacks and strokes.

“We understand that when people are worried about their health, emotions can run high and that can cloud your judgement.

“This is not about placing blame, but we do need people to take responsibility for how and when services are used.

“The ambulance service, like emergency departments, exists for urgent and life-threatening situations, and is not intended for routine illnesses or injuries.

“Calling 999 does not automatically mean an ambulance will be sent, just as arriving at hospital by ambulance does not mean you’ll be seen more quickly.

“While we’re dealing with a non-urgent call, an elderly person may have fallen and broken their hip, a teenager could be in cardiac arrest or someone may be unconscious after a serious road traffic collision.

“These are our mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, friends and colleagues, so please remember that and use 999 appropriately.”

The Trust is urging people to learn about the alternatives to 999.



 The NHS 111 Wales website should be your first port of call for advice and information, or you can call 111.

Pharmacists offer free advice and over-the-counter medicines for common ailments, like coughs and colds, while minor injury units can deal with minor burns, bites and stings, as well as minor eye injuries.

It is also important to keep a well-stocked medicine cabinet for things which can be treated at home, like sore throats, and keep on top of prescription medication.

 The following are real 999 calls made to the ambulance service in the past year:

Call 1

 Operator: Is the patient breathing?

 Caller: Yeah, I’m the patient. I was gargling with mouthwash to try to get rid of my flu, and a drop of the mouthwash went down my throat.



Call 2

 Operator: Ambulance, what’s the address of the emergency?

 Caller: What I’ve got is a molar tooth which has come out its socket tonight. It’s hanging on by a thread.



Call 3

 Operator: Tell me exactly what’s happened.

 Caller: He was sorting out his fishing equipment and a fishing hook has gone right through his finger, and there’s no way I can get it out.



Call 4

 Operator: Ambulance service, what’s the full address of the emergency?

Caller: She was cleaning her ear with a Q-tip and I think she pushed it a bit far.

Call 5

 Operator: Tell me exactly what’s happened.

 Caller: He got a little cut but he feels dizzy and light-headed. It’s not a big cut, it’s a small cut, but he feels dizzy and he’s sweating a lot.

Call 6

 Caller: He was listening with his headphones on a phone, and the end’s come off and gone in his ear.

Operator: Right, so there’s an earphone stuck in his ear, is that correct?

 Caller: Well, he claims, yeah.



Call 7

 Operator: Tell me exactly what’s happened.

 Caller: I’ve just applied ointment under my eye. Maybe the ointment ran inside my eye and now I’m unable to open my eye. My eyeball hurts.

 Call 8

 Operator: Tell me exactly what’s happened.

 Caller: Basically, I’ve just woke up and I can’t swallow or nothing. It’s my throat, it’s killing me.

Call 9

 Operator: Is the patient breathing?

 Caller: Yeah, he’s breathing. What it is, he’s fired a nail gun, and the nail went into the tip of his finger.

 Operator: Is there any serious bleeding?

 Caller: Not yet.

Call 10

 Operator: Tell me exactly what’s happened.

 Caller: I’ve kicked a wall and I think I’ve broken a few of my toes. I’m in absolute agony at the minute.



Call 11

 Caller: What I really need is a dentist.

 Operator: What’s happened to your tooth?

Caller: My tooth is broken, it’s gone.

Operator: When did that happen?

Caller: It happened last week. I don’t want to waste your services. All I want is to be able to see a dentist in the morning.