PEOPLE can find out more about NHS services - when they go shopping.
A health service roadshow will be at the Asda store on Bradford Road, Huddersfield, on Tuesday from 10am to 3pm.
The ambulance service is often swamped with 999 calls which are not true emergencies and NHS chiefs are anxious that people learn about alternative services available.
People will be able to talk to frontline ambulance staff along with staff from the 24-hour health advice and information service NHS Direct, South Huddersfield Primary Care Trust and Careline, a telephone response service helping the elderly and vulnerable to live safely and independently.
Andrew Cratchley West Yorkshire Metropolitan Ambulance Service's director of operations said: "If we want people to use our services appropriately we need to make sure they are armed with the information and know- how to do that.
"By talking to frontline staff in a relaxed and informal atmosphere, people can find out firsthand about NHS services locally, how we are working in partnership to improve patient care and how they can help us to deliver a fast, effective service."
Every year up to a quarter of 999 calls to the ambulance service do not require an emergency response and come from people with minor injuries and ailments. Many of these patients may have been better served by an alternative means of treatment.
