Some have called 999 because they are sweating or have sunburn - pressurised ambulance service covering Banbury urges public not to call for minor ailments

SCAS said this week that call handlers are sometimes being abused by patients ringing with insect bites and even because they are sweating in the heat.

Ambulance bosses say the 111 online service offers patients quick advice on the best healthcare option, including a call back from a trained clinician or nurse, booking an appointment in A&E or providing advice on how to help patients recover.

The service's request comes following a sharp rise in calls to the Trust, which provides emergency and urgent care across four counties.

The recent hot weather, Covid-19 transmission rates in the community and an increase in people spending time outside as restrictions ease are thought to be reasons why SCAS is getting more calls - 15 per cent more 999 calls per day, while the non-emergency Patient Transport Service is also experiencing higher demand.

The Trust also has a number of staff currently absent as a result of Covid-19 infection or self-isolation, though this is being mitigated through the redeployment of clinical staff from non patient-facing roles.

Meanwhile, call handlers have reported some calls to 999 in recent days have been for non-emergency issues such as insect bites, broken wrists, sunburn, vomiting and even profuse sweating – and staff have also suffered abuse when providing advice on how to self-treat and manage these conditions.

People who call 999 are also being urged to only call back if their condition worsens – not to check what time their ambulance will arrive.

Paul Jefferies, Assistant Director of Operations at SCAS, said: “Our frontline ambulance crews, 999 and 111 call handlers and the many other teams who ensure we can respond to patients as quickly as possible are working extremely hard as we see increased demand for our services.

“We are prioritising those patients that are most sick and severely injured and everyone who needs an ambulance will get one, however, there are other and often better options for people to get the care they need.

“As has been the case throughout the pandemic, the public can play their part by using 111 online for urgent advice, calling 999 in life-threatening cases – and only calling back if their condition worsens – and by getting the COVID jab.”

People are still being encouraged to contact 999 if they experience:

• signs of a heart attack like a pain like a heavy weight in the centre of the chest

• signs of stroke such as a person’s face dropping on one side

• difficulty breathing

• heavy bleeding that won’t stop

• seizures

• or sudden and rapid swelling of the eyes, lips, throat or tongue.

Mr Jefferies paid tribute to staff and volunteers who are working flat-out across the organisation to contend with the current workload.

He said: “It is really important to us that whenever we convey information about the pressures we are facing to the public that we take time to thank our staff and volunteers for the extraordinary effort they have made and continue to.

“We are so proud of all of them and the challenges they have all faced since the start of the pandemic cannot be underestimated. My message to the public about our staff and volunteers is please continue to be kind, considerate and supportive.

“We also want to remind everyone that our staff will still wear appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) and observe “Hands, Face, Space” to protect themselves and our patients.”

People can access 111 online at 111.nhs.uk.