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Calling 999
You SHOULD call 999 for cases such as:
- chest pain
- difficulty in breathing
- loss of consciousness
- severe loss of blood
- severe burns and scalds
- choking
- fitting/convulsions
- drowning
- severe allergic reactions
If it's NOT an emergency, please consider other healthcare
options, including:
- self-care at home
- talking to your local pharmacist
- calling NHS Direct on 0845 4647
- attending a local NHS walk-in centre
- visiting your GP
- making your own way to your local A&E department - arriving
in an ambulance does not mean you will be seen more
quickly
Our call handlers need three important
pieces of information:
1st - Where would you like
the ambulance to come to?
2nd - What number are you
calling from (in case you get cut off and we need to call you
back)?
3rd - What's wrong with the
patient?
Once the first question has been answered,
an ambulance resource will be sent on its way.
You will also be asked to give some extra
information, including;
- the patient's age, sex and medical history
- whether the patient is conscious, breathing and if there is any
bleeding or chest pain, and
- details of the injury and how it happened
Help us to help you
- If you are in the street, stay with the patient until help
arrives
- Call us back if the patient's condition changes
- Call us again if your location changes
- If you are calling from home or work, ask someone to open the
doors and signal where the ambulance staff are needed
- Lock away any family pets
- If you can, write down the patient's GP details and collect any
medication that they are taking
- Tell us if the patient has any allergies
- Stay calm