17/07/13….Heatwave putting ambulance service under pressure

AS the Met Office issued a Level three, Heatwave Action warning for our region today, the local ambulance service is coming under continuing pressure.

Level 3: Amber ? Heatwave action is triggered when the Met Office confirms threshold temperatures for one or more regions have been reached for one day and the following night, and the forecast for the next day is greater than 90% confidence that the day threshold will be met. This stage requires social and healthcare services to target specific actions at high-risk groups.

Advice: Heatwaves can be dangerous, especially for the very young, very old or those with chronic diseases.

If you want more information about hot weather and your health please visit www.nhs.uk If you are concerned about your health or somebody you care for, please contact NHS Direct on 0845 4647, www.nhsdirect.nhs.uktarget” or your local pharmacist.

The current heat wave has seen an increase in 999 calls to South Central Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (SCAS). Between 00.01 on July 5, and 23.59 on July 7, the service responded to 4316 emergency calls of which 1138 were potentially life-threatening. Last weekend saw continuing pressure on the service across the four counties it serves.

In a statement, SCAS said that between 00.01 on July 12, and 23.59 on July 14, it responded to 4346 emergency calls of which 1154 were potentially life-threatening.

“The above figures represent a significant increase in the amount of incidents that SCAS has responded to across the four counties of Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Hampshire and Oxfordshire when compared with an average weekend in June 2013 when the Trust responded to 4057 incidents of which 1096 were potentially life-threatening.

“Please remember that misuse of the ambulance service costs lives. Only call 999 in the event of a medical emergency. Calling 999 for an ambulance when you don?t need one may result in vital resources being unavailable to respond to patients who genuinely need them – patients suffering life-threatening injury or illness.

“What?s more, arriving by ambulance at a hospital?s Emergency Department (A&E) doesn?t guarantee that you?ll be seen ahead of other patients who don?t. All patients are prioritised according to the severity of their condition. Those suffering from life threatening injury or illness are always seen and treated first!

“Sadly SCAS still receives a significant number of hoax calls and many more inappropriate calls that do not require an ambulance response. Examples of inappropriate 999 calls received by SCAS in July 2013 include:

? A male bitten by a wild rat
? A male who had a pain in his heel as he had an ulcer
? A person who rang 999 to complain about the people upstairs and the noise they were making
? A lady who called for assistance in getting her downstairs as her stair lift had broken down.
? A male who had cut his hand on a glass whilst washing up
? An elderly male who dialled 999 four times unnecessarily.

PLEASE think before you dial 999. If it?s not a medical emergency please call 111 for help and advice on accessing the most appropriate treatment. Many minor injuries or illnesses are best treated by Self Care ? your pharmacist will be happy to offer advice on how you can treat them yourself.

Please remember 999 is a life line for those who really need it and not a default service for those who don?t!

“We are with you when you need us! South Central Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (SCAS) provides emergency care for Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Hampshire and Oxfordshire. Our area covers approximately 3,554 square miles and has a resident
population of over four million people.”