Demand on ambulance services in West Midlands reaching unprecedented highs
The pressures have remained constant following an exceptionally busy summer
West Midlands Ambulance Service (WMAS) is urging people to be honest and avoid panic-calling 999, as they face an unprecedented demand.
The pressure their emergency response teams and control rooms experience has been described by one of their paramedics as "phenomenal," with the demands showing no signs of slowing down after a exceptionally busy summer.
The control rooms at WMAS receive approximately 4,500 calls each day, with staff handling situations ranging from genuine emergencies to frustrating cases like callers being dishonest, as highlighted by call handlers during a recent visit.
Billy Mellor, a Clinical Validation Paramedic at WMAS, described their average 10-12 hour shifts as "full-on from start to finish."
“Sometimes you can just see the number of calls just stacking more and more and you wonder if you’re ever going to get to the end,” he said.
Mellor suggested that increased awareness of self-care and the use of local pharmacies for minor illnesses could alleviate some of the demand on ambulance services, explaining how he has seen a rise in people "panic-calling" for an ambulance, despite not needing one.
This experienced was emphasised by call handlers at WMCA, who shared examples of how people being dishonest strained their already-stretched resources.
Michael Noonan, a Dispatch Call Handler, described a case they had a few weeks ago, where a woman had "fallen-out" with her partner, so called 999 and lied about her partner needing an ambulance, just to cause him nuisance.
"It's frustrating," Noonan said.
"That ambulance could be the closest crew to someone in cardiac arrest, so it takes them away from patients who genuinely need them."
The WMAS are calling for more public education about appropriate resources and services to contact when facing health issues that are not severe emergencies.