7 Jan 2015
Don’t dial for an ambulance unless it’s a medical emergency
Towards the end of last term there were a number of instances where students dialled 999 for an ambulance, often as a result of alcohol misuse, and have then disappeared from A&E without treatment.
East Midlands Ambulance Service deals with more than 600,000 calls a year. However, sometimes as many as two-thirds are not real emergencies. Each call out costs £200 and when it is not for a real emergency, the extra workload puts a strain on the 999 service as well as pressure on A&E. It also means that the lives of people who really need emergency care and treatment are put at risk.
Please think twice before dialling the emergency ambulance service either for yourself or a fellow student. If you have a medical need that isn’t a genuine emergency, please call the 24-hour NHS helpline on 111, or attend the Urgent Care Centre at the hospital on Epinal Way, which is open all day, every day.