Emergency ambulances on our roads.....whats behind the mete
Discussion
oric rise in the amount that we now see?
As a kid in the late 60's/early 70's I remember it being such a rare event to witness an ambulance on an emergency run that me and my young friends on hearing the old style two tone siren approaching in the distance would rush from our back street playground around to the main road to behold such a rare spectacle go by.
Nowadays I can easily see as many emergency ambulances in a single day as I would have in many months back then,and it seems to be increasing all the time.No doubt I will encounter at least one on my 45 min morning commute this morning,several more as I go about my driving job,and probably another one while on my commute back home.
Have we became much more prone to suddenly falling ill these days,are we becoming much more accident prone?
Or is it because the incidents which are being classed as emergencies by ambulance control room staff are becoming more and more trivial all the time.
Any paramedics or ambulance service staff on here who can answer?
As a kid in the late 60's/early 70's I remember it being such a rare event to witness an ambulance on an emergency run that me and my young friends on hearing the old style two tone siren approaching in the distance would rush from our back street playground around to the main road to behold such a rare spectacle go by.
Nowadays I can easily see as many emergency ambulances in a single day as I would have in many months back then,and it seems to be increasing all the time.No doubt I will encounter at least one on my 45 min morning commute this morning,several more as I go about my driving job,and probably another one while on my commute back home.
Have we became much more prone to suddenly falling ill these days,are we becoming much more accident prone?
Or is it because the incidents which are being classed as emergencies by ambulance control room staff are becoming more and more trivial all the time.
Any paramedics or ambulance service staff on here who can answer?
It could be the result of several things:
1. Ambulance coverage across the UK seems to have been a bit variable in the first 25 years of the NHS. The Ambulance Services came under central government control in 1974 in order to try and improve the organisation and provision. Therefore, you may have been living in a part of the country with a very poor service when you were growing up.
2. There are more ambulance call outs. Lots more call outs.
Ambulance service emergency calls (England only)
1994/95 2.6m
2004/05 5.6m
2006/07 6.3m
2012/13 9.1m
Whether this is down to changes in practice, an ageing population, worsening public health or the consequence of the 2004 GP contract that allowed GPs to opt out of out-of-hours care (or all of them combined) is debatable.
1. Ambulance coverage across the UK seems to have been a bit variable in the first 25 years of the NHS. The Ambulance Services came under central government control in 1974 in order to try and improve the organisation and provision. Therefore, you may have been living in a part of the country with a very poor service when you were growing up.
2. There are more ambulance call outs. Lots more call outs.
Ambulance service emergency calls (England only)
1994/95 2.6m
2004/05 5.6m
2006/07 6.3m
2012/13 9.1m
Whether this is down to changes in practice, an ageing population, worsening public health or the consequence of the 2004 GP contract that allowed GPs to opt out of out-of-hours care (or all of them combined) is debatable.
From speaking to paramedic friends it's a lot of 2. People expect the ambulance service to do more including taking them to hospitals for non emergencies. The crews are apparently busier now than ever, the system was designed around quiet 12 hour shifts but that's not the car any more with breaks frequently interrupted. Distances to and from specialist hospitals are greater, with better results, but more road time than used to be the case for local hospitals.
ralphrj said:
It could be the result of several things:
1. Ambulance coverage across the UK seems to have been a bit variable in the first 25 years of the NHS. The Ambulance Services came under central government control in 1974 in order to try and improve the organisation and provision. Therefore, you may have been living in a part of the country with a very poor service when you were growing up.
2. There are more ambulance call outs. Lots more call outs.
Ambulance service emergency calls (England only)
1994/95 2.6m
2004/05 5.6m
2006/07 6.3m
2012/13 9.1m
Whether this is down to changes in practice, an ageing population, worsening public health or the consequence of the 2004 GP contract that allowed GPs to opt out of out-of-hours care (or all of them combined) is debatable.
1. Ambulance coverage across the UK seems to have been a bit variable in the first 25 years of the NHS. The Ambulance Services came under central government control in 1974 in order to try and improve the organisation and provision. Therefore, you may have been living in a part of the country with a very poor service when you were growing up.
2. There are more ambulance call outs. Lots more call outs.
Ambulance service emergency calls (England only)
1994/95 2.6m
2004/05 5.6m
2006/07 6.3m
2012/13 9.1m
Whether this is down to changes in practice, an ageing population, worsening public health or the consequence of the 2004 GP contract that allowed GPs to opt out of out-of-hours care (or all of them combined) is debatable.
People are t
ts.
A friend who works at the children's A&E in my home town recently reported some scummy mummy calling 999 to report her kid had stopped breathing, resulting in a priority response.
All sounds normal until...
the crew arrive and find the kid had only trapped his finger no treatment or attendance needed, the mum just wanted them to come out
Lots more unnecessary use of the ambulance service than there was.
ts.A friend who works at the children's A&E in my home town recently reported some scummy mummy calling 999 to report her kid had stopped breathing, resulting in a priority response.
All sounds normal until...
the crew arrive and find the kid had only trapped his finger no treatment or attendance needed, the mum just wanted them to come out
Lots more unnecessary use of the ambulance service than there was.
A story from my Grandfather. It was told in a different circumstance - as he'd bruised his toe in a rush, did not have time to apply pressure, and consequently was in pain for several days.
He was a GP in the local mining community. Woke up at 3am to a phone call (he was on call), to be told of a baby having trouble breathing. Got dressed in a rush, shot down the road in the car (in a rush) and sorted baby out (colic I think).
Fast forward 50 years, my 2 year old daughter woke up sounding very raspy struggling to catch her breath. Ring NHS Direct. They don't like what they hear, and sent out an Emergency Ambulance. We lived in the sticks, so they also sent out a First Responder. Oxygen does the trick. Turned out to be Colic. Scary the first time - subsequently we knew what to do so could deal with it.
The change in the Doctors contract allowing them to opt out of out of hours was a god send (the one's I knew jumped for it (long with their earnings)), and the 'replacement' service does not really work. As a result ambulances and ED's I think are a lot busier.
He was a GP in the local mining community. Woke up at 3am to a phone call (he was on call), to be told of a baby having trouble breathing. Got dressed in a rush, shot down the road in the car (in a rush) and sorted baby out (colic I think).
Fast forward 50 years, my 2 year old daughter woke up sounding very raspy struggling to catch her breath. Ring NHS Direct. They don't like what they hear, and sent out an Emergency Ambulance. We lived in the sticks, so they also sent out a First Responder. Oxygen does the trick. Turned out to be Colic. Scary the first time - subsequently we knew what to do so could deal with it.
The change in the Doctors contract allowing them to opt out of out of hours was a god send (the one's I knew jumped for it (long with their earnings)), and the 'replacement' service does not really work. As a result ambulances and ED's I think are a lot busier.
ralphrj said:
Ambulance service emergency calls (England only)
1994/95 2.6m
2004/05 5.6m
2006/07 6.3m
2012/13 9.1m
Wow - that's a massive increase.1994/95 2.6m
2004/05 5.6m
2006/07 6.3m
2012/13 9.1m
Around us (semi-rural Cheshire) a fast response paramedic is normally sent ahead of the ambulance, so that immediately doubles the number of ambulance sirens we hear.
An aging population dealing with multiple chronic disorders, out of hours GP services which do little and fob most jobs off to ambulance crews and emergency departments. A large proportion of jobs that really don't require an emergency ambulance to attend doesn't help either; think most jobs were alcohol is involved.
I'm supposed to work 12 hour shifts but quite often its 13-14 or more, often eating on the fly and spending all day on the road. One of our vehicles did 96000 miles in its 1st year for example.
I worked over 280 hours last month and had very little downtime between calls on any of those shifts.
I'm supposed to work 12 hour shifts but quite often its 13-14 or more, often eating on the fly and spending all day on the road. One of our vehicles did 96000 miles in its 1st year for example.
I worked over 280 hours last month and had very little downtime between calls on any of those shifts.
I put a lot of it down to the call centres being manned by 12 year olds immigrants who can only read instructions from a screen, with only a basic understanding of the language.
I recently had to call the out of hours docs for my mum, no emergency but an ongoing lung infection. They were adamant that she was about to die, if an ambulance didnt rush over within the minute! I had to tell them that I didnt want an ambulance as it wasnt life threatening, the child on the line just kept repeating that it was an emergency and I didnt have an option.
In the end I had to hang up. I called back a bit later and spoke to a grown up.
I recently had to call the out of hours docs for my mum, no emergency but an ongoing lung infection. They were adamant that she was about to die, if an ambulance didnt rush over within the minute! I had to tell them that I didnt want an ambulance as it wasnt life threatening, the child on the line just kept repeating that it was an emergency and I didnt have an option.
In the end I had to hang up. I called back a bit later and spoke to a grown up.
Fattyfat said:
An aging population dealing with multiple chronic disorders, out of hours GP services which do little and fob most jobs off to ambulance crews and emergency departments. A large proportion of jobs that really don't require an emergency ambulance to attend doesn't help either; think most jobs were alcohol is involved.
I'm supposed to work 12 hour shifts but quite often its 13-14 or more, often eating on the fly and spending all day on the road. One of our vehicles did 96000 miles in its 1st year for example.
I worked over 280 hours last month and had very little downtime between calls on any of those shifts.
I always wonder how the ambulance service gets away with that. Truck drivers are limited to 9 hours driving a day, most police officers 8 hours. GB Domestic rules are 10 hours driving of 11 hour shift. Army police and fire are exempt but not ambulance. I'm supposed to work 12 hour shifts but quite often its 13-14 or more, often eating on the fly and spending all day on the road. One of our vehicles did 96000 miles in its 1st year for example.
I worked over 280 hours last month and had very little downtime between calls on any of those shifts.
red_slr said:
Fattyfat said:
An aging population dealing with multiple chronic disorders, out of hours GP services which do little and fob most jobs off to ambulance crews and emergency departments. A large proportion of jobs that really don't require an emergency ambulance to attend doesn't help either; think most jobs were alcohol is involved.
I'm supposed to work 12 hour shifts but quite often its 13-14 or more, often eating on the fly and spending all day on the road. One of our vehicles did 96000 miles in its 1st year for example.
I worked over 280 hours last month and had very little downtime between calls on any of those shifts.
I always wonder how the ambulance service gets away with that. Truck drivers are limited to 9 hours driving a day, most police officers 8 hours. GB Domestic rules are 10 hours driving of 11 hour shift. Army police and fire are exempt but not ambulance. I'm supposed to work 12 hour shifts but quite often its 13-14 or more, often eating on the fly and spending all day on the road. One of our vehicles did 96000 miles in its 1st year for example.
I worked over 280 hours last month and had very little downtime between calls on any of those shifts.
Lack of breaks or downtime during shifts is to me more worrying as even us lorry drivers must by law take a 45min break after a max 4.5 hrs of driving or a break of 30 mins after 6 hrs of on duty time .
Gassing Station | The Lounge | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff