Rise in Emergency Call-Outs Sets Alarm Bells Ringing in City

By Gareth Rose

999 calls to Capital base up by 50 per cent in four years

PARAMEDICS are dealing with record numbers of call-outs, new Scottish Government figures have revealed.

Emergency calls to the Edinburgh centre have risen by 50 per cent in just four years.

The Scottish Ambulance Service has upped its workforce to try to meet the growing demand, but the continually growing number of calls threatens their ability to respond to emergencies on time.

Recently it emerged that on average Lothian paramedics reach people needing to attend accident and emergency in 8.3 minutes, just above the eight-minute target the Scottish Government has set for March next year.

It has boosted staff numbers in south-east Scotland from 82 to 92 to try to meet that target.

John Morton, spokesman for the Scottish Ambulance Service, said: “Ambulance demand increases at between three and six per cent a year, on average.

“Last year was in line with that, although there was a bigger increase the year before.

“It’s likely to continue going up, although it’s difficult to say why. Nothing leaps out of the statistics as a particularly strong factor.

“We just have to keep on increasing staff levels and improving the way we respond to calls. That’s why we categorise calls – as emergency, urgent or routine – to make sure those who need help most, get it quickest.”

It is hoped that Scottish Government plans for extended working hours among GPs will reduce the number of people who call out ambulances unnecessarily because they feel accident and emergency is their only hope.

Health chiefs hope that greater education, improved use of NHS24, and easier access to GPs during early mornings, evenings and Saturdays, will ease the pressure on ambulances and accident and emergency departments, particularly at the ERI, which is the busiest in Scotland.

The Scotland Patients Association has called on people not to abuse the ambulance service and only call it out when needed.

Patients unsure of what care they need can contact NHS24, explain their symptoms to a trained professional, and then, if necessary, have an ambulance dispatched immediately.

The SPA believes some people are choosing not to use NHS24 and calling out an ambulance even when it is not needed.

Margaret Watt, chairwoman of the SPA, said: “I think it is a throwback to when people were not sure about NHS24. It works well but some people still do not want to phone it.

“There’s no reason for there to be an increase. Maybe at weekends it is also due to escalating levels of binge drinking.

“I just wonder how much of this rise is abuse either from binge drinking or not calling NHS24.

“This needs to be investigated, but a 50 per cent rise is horrendous.”

For The only way is up see http://epages.the.loop/2008/08/05/ EN2.pdf

Originally published by Gareth Rose Health Reporter.

(c) 2008 Evening News; Edinburgh (UK). Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.