If you are contemplating calling an ambulance on New Year’s Eve then think if you really need it ... because many patients simply don’t.
Yorkshire Ambulance Service has provided a list of the kind of emergencies that is worthy of an ambulance.
It’s not exhaustive but it shows that ambulances are only there for serious cases.
They include chest pain, severe breathing difficulty, loss of consciousness, heavy blood loss, choking, fitting/convulsions, drowning or a severe allergic reaction.
Stephen Segasby, Deputy Director of Operations at YAS, said: “Our staff have done an incredible job over the busy Christmas period looking after thousands of patients, many of whom were very poorly and needed our help as quickly as possible.
“But when people use our emergency medical service inappropriately for minor injuries and illnesses and less serious calls this ties up our resources and means we can’t get to those who really need us as quickly as we would like to.
“We would appeal to everyone to think before you call and only dial 999 when someone is in need of time critical life-saving help.”
New Year’s Eve is traditionally the busiest night of the year for ambulance crews yet many calls are received from patients who do not need to go to hospital.
