Shropshire Star

Injured seagull and lost fingernail among inappropriate ambulance calls in 2018

A woman also dialled 999 to report her dog had died, as did a man who was sweating while using his computer.

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A woman whose finger nail had come off and a man who found an injured seagull in his house both dialled 999 for an ambulance, health bosses have revealed.

They were just two of the top 10 most inappropriate calls made to the South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust by members of the public in 2018.

Others included a woman who rang for an ambulance to report her dog had died, a man who was sweating while using his computer and a woman who wanted to complain about the noise of an ambulance siren.

The trust, which covers the south west of England region, said the worst 10 calls were:

– A man had found in an injured seagull in his house.

– A woman’s dog had died.

– A man was having strange dreams.

– A woman’s fingernail had come off.

– A woman had punched a wall.

– A man was sweating when using his computer.

– A man wanted a lift home.

– A man wanted some non-urgent medical advice.

– A woman wanted to be transferred to the 101 police non-emergency number, which costs 15p a minute to call, because she had run out of phone credit.

– A woman wanted to complain about the noise of ambulance sirens.

The trust released details of the calls ahead of Christmas to remind the public only to call 999 in a genuine emergency.

Demand for the service is likely to peak between December 22 and Boxing Day when staff are expecting to deal with more than 3,100 incidents a day.

David Fletcher, head of the trust’s clinical hubs, said: “The 999 service is only to be used for extremely urgent or life-threatening emergencies, and we urge people to use it wisely.

“If you call because someone is unconscious, not breathing, or has serious bleeding, you are making the right call.

“But calling for an ambulance when it is not absolutely necessary puts additional pressure on our limited resources, and may mean we cannot reach those who are most in need.

“During peak periods, like the festive season, every inappropriate call has the potential to put a life at risk and delay a response to a genuine emergency.

“Please think carefully before calling 999 and ask yourself – ‘is it a real emergency?’”

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