Ask an ambulance dispatcher anything....
Discussion
Having read this awful, misinformed article in the Mail, I thought it might be worth setting up a post that might be able to add some context to certain situations etc.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8914153/E...
So, this will probably die on its arse, but go ahead and ask me anything and I'll try and answer.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8914153/E...
So, this will probably die on its arse, but go ahead and ask me anything and I'll try and answer.
21TonyK said:
I'll get in with the obvious one...
Do you despatch and ambulance before going through all the questions? ie.. three "nos" of "yes's" and its on its way then follow with the rest of the questions?
Edit to add: had need of you and your colleagues services recently... thank you!!!
Good question.Do you despatch and ambulance before going through all the questions? ie.. three "nos" of "yes's" and its on its way then follow with the rest of the questions?
Edit to add: had need of you and your colleagues services recently... thank you!!!
When you call in, a pre alert is created with a location (this will be a confirmed location if a land line, a confirmed location if your phone has AML turned on or an approximate location based off mobile triangulation).
The first question you will be asked is if the patient is conscious and breathing. If the answer to that is no, it becomes a CAT1 NOC. We then will dispatch the nearest free resources or divert a resource which is on its way to a lower priority call. As you go via the triage pathway, the call will then be coded/graded accordingly. Should it be downgraded the resource might be stood down or diverted to a more pressing emergency or a longer outstanding incident of the same category.
If you answer yes to the initial question, your call sits as a pre alert until the call taker gives it a category. A CAT2 NOC call won't be dispatched on until 4mins into the call or when coded. A CAT3 NOC and CAT4 NOC will only be dispatched on when the call is coded.
Steve H said:
What’s the strangest thing that someone has phoned up to admit is inserted/stuck in them?
ETA, I thought this was the most obvious question
Had a youngish lad call with a child's doll up his bum. He was told to make his own way to ED. Can't imagine what he told his parents.ETA, I thought this was the most obvious question
S100HP said:
The first question you will be asked is if the patient is conscious and breathing. If the answer to that is no, it becomes a CAT1 NOC. We then will dispatch the nearest free resources or divert a resource which is on its way to a lower priority call.
Is this information, and the TV programmes that show us the same thing, causing people to learn the things to say in order to jump the queue?Shaw Tarse said:
Do you/ crews get pissed off with carers phoning in with"gran down"?
Gran down/Nan down. It's so unbelievably common you wouldn't believe it. Sometimes the same person multiple times a day. It made me quite sad at the start, but I certainly don't want to get to that stage.Far more infuriating is the fall detectors/care alarms. They go off so often in error, and we have to send crews who then have to let themselves into Doris house via a key safe and startle the poor woman at 3am.
I've a few - since you've offered !
Do applications like what3words really work/are used ? Or do you just use the emergency mobile location service information from the mobiles. ?
How long has your longest wait been from call to ambulance on site ( for something critical say heart attack ) ?
What is the youngest person you have spoken to on a 999 call ? And the youngest person you have talked through a procedure ?
Do applications like what3words really work/are used ? Or do you just use the emergency mobile location service information from the mobiles. ?
How long has your longest wait been from call to ambulance on site ( for something critical say heart attack ) ?
What is the youngest person you have spoken to on a 999 call ? And the youngest person you have talked through a procedure ?
Muzzer79 said:
What's the most ludicrous reason you've had for someone requesting an ambulance?
i.e TV not working, run out of fags, Sky TV cut off, etc.
The person who rang 999 as his phone wasn't working for any other numbers was pretty high up the list. I happened to listen into that one (I don't take calls). i.e TV not working, run out of fags, Sky TV cut off, etc.
We get a fair share of hoax calls too as you'd expect.
Red9zero said:
How annoyed do you get with frequent flyers ? My neighbour is forever calling 999 with either alcohol related issues or threatening to harm herself. This is always late night / early morning and can often be every night for a 2-3 week period before she calms down for a while.
We have many unfortunately. You can get 10/20 calls a day from some people. They often have a PMP (patients management plan) in place which help the call takers and clinicians to manage the need for an ambulance, often they'll be put in a callback queue for the Clinical Support Desk, but if they don't answer the callbacks then worst case is assumed and an ambulance is triggered.monkfish1 said:
What is "NOC" ?
NOC is nature of call. A heads up based on the initial information provided. An RTC rollover would be a CAT2 NOC initially, if it then turns out during the triage that the caller has climbed out, feels fine but their arm hurts a bit it would probably code CAT3, meaning it's much less of a priority.
Sheepshanks said:
S100HP said:
The first question you will be asked is if the patient is conscious and breathing. If the answer to that is no, it becomes a CAT1 NOC. We then will dispatch the nearest free resources or divert a resource which is on its way to a lower priority call.
Is this information, and the TV programmes that show us the same thing, causing people to learn the things to say in order to jump the queue?Chozza said:
I've a few - since you've offered !
Do applications like what3words really work/are used ? Or do you just use the emergency mobile location service information from the mobiles. ?
How long has your longest wait been from call to ambulance on site ( for something critical say heart attack ) ?
What is the youngest person you have spoken to on a 999 call ? And the youngest person you have talked through a procedure ?
What3Words is great when you're located in a hard to find location (like in the middle of a forest) and if you've got your AML turned off as the mobile triangulation only gives an ellipse with a accuracy percentage..sometimes this ellipse can cover a whole village.Do applications like what3words really work/are used ? Or do you just use the emergency mobile location service information from the mobiles. ?
How long has your longest wait been from call to ambulance on site ( for something critical say heart attack ) ?
What is the youngest person you have spoken to on a 999 call ? And the youngest person you have talked through a procedure ?
What3Words isn't integrated with our systems, so the call taker will have to go onto the website, enter details and convert to lat/long and enter that way. It's imperative you get the words right!
Some waits can be quite long, based on location and availability and time. I've not seen much more than about 20/25mins to real serious stuff, but this is not normal. Target time for a CAT1 is 7mins, very often met with a resource within 4/5 mins.
I don't take the calls, but the youngest I've seen was 6, called up to say dad had collapsed and not breathing. Crew arrived to find the kids home alone, 6 and 8 years old. Parents were at work.
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