A man dialled 999 because his dishwasher wasn’t working while another ’emergency’ caller was concerned she had stuck her jeans to her leg with glue.
The NHS in Wales has revealed details of some of the time-wasting calls it receives in an effort to discourage them.
It says the accounts range from the unnecessary, with one woman called 999 after dropping glue on her jeans and sticking them to her leg, to the ridiculous – like a request for an emergency plumber.
One man called 999 because his washing machine wasn’t working and he didn’t know who else to call, while a food premises in the Swansea area called 999 to request a dead pigeon be removed from outside the property.
And in one of the strangest incidents, a person called 999 because their glass table had smashed. No one was hurt but they were worried that their pet might cut itself.
The information has been provided by the Welsh Ambulance Service NHS Trust in support of the latest phase of the Choose Well campaign, designed to give people clear information on the variety of healthcare services available to them and encourage them to think carefully before dialling 999 or going to the Emergency Department.
A significant number of people still go to hospital Emergency Departments (A&E) or dial 999 when there are other services more convenient and suitable for their needs.
There has been a 205% rise in calls to the ambulance service since 1991 and a 12% increase in attendance to major Emergency Departments across Wales over the past five years.
Chief Medical Officer Tony Jewell recently launched the latest phase of the Choose Well campaign, which lets people know when to call 999 using a colour-coding.
He said: “The Choose Well campaign is going to prove useful in helping people towards accessing the right services, at the right time to meet their healthcare needs. Patients who ‘Choose Well’ should be rewarded with better, quicker and more effective treatment and care.
“Helping people make the right choice in accessing services will not only benefit patients themselves but also assist our doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals to maintain high quality services.
“We want to make sure people living in Wales get the right care in the right place at the right time.”
Paramedic Diana Phillips, 32, has worked in the Welsh Ambulance Service for 14 years, with eight of those spent as a paramedic. She said: “People should dial 999 for the ambulance service in situations where patients require immediate treatment and are in a life threatening situation, but more and more often we are being used for non-emergency and inappropriate calls.
“One time we turned up to a call to find a lady who’d been scratched by a cat and was demanding to be taken to hospital. We’ll also get calls from people suffering from toothache just because they can’t get hold of their dentist. One person even called us out because they thought that a moth had flown in their ear.
“Equally, we also receive calls from people who, rather than having an emergency illness, have been unwell for a number of weeks, haven’t sought any other form of medical help during this time, and decide to call us because they’re still feeling ill.
“Calls like these can clog up the emergency care system, increase demand on hospitals and affect the time it takes us to get to very sick people and respond to other life threatening 999 calls.
“The best advice I can give to people is to think carefully about all the options available to them and what treatment would be best in their situation.”