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NHS emergency response to 999 calls: alternatives for cases that are neither life threatening nor serious

NHS emergency response to 999 calls: alternatives for cases that are neither life threatening nor serious
NHS emergency response to 999 calls: alternatives for cases that are neither life threatening nor serious
Ambulance services and emergency departments are under increasing pressure as the number of emergency calls continues to rise but in many cases, patients do not need immediate clinical care. Helen Snooks and colleagues consider the alternatives to the standard NHS response and review the current literature.
The number of emergency (999) calls received by ambulance services in the United Kingdom has risen consistently over recent years. Ambulance services must respond to calls immediately by sending vehicles staffed by paramedics, with flashing lights and sirens. All patients have to be taken to an accident and emergency department. This response is not always appropriate, and it can result in inefficient use of resources and unnecessary risks to the general public, patients, and paramedics.
The NHS Plan and the recent consultation document Reforming Emergency Care have emphasised the importance of trying new approaches to deliver appropriate care. They highlight the need to consider new ways to integrate the ambulance response to 999 calls into the overall system that deals with emergencies.
emergency response, 999 calls, alternatives to 999, non life threatening emergencies, non serious
0959-8138
330-333
Snooks, Helen
7cd8ec11-2196-480d-94c9-e94402cdcba2
Williams, Susan
b8bf4399-f14d-48b9-b668-5aa4dee1add3
Crouch, Robert
7f98a42e-ee34-4520-ab33-83cd3acf05b7
Foster, Theresa
57840909-db8d-40ea-9ed2-c6d4e6779331
Hartley-Sharpe, Chris
fd156025-315b-4e5d-9038-843d6bb11669
Dale, Jeremy
36604f7b-015b-42b2-9f6a-3191b432ebc3
Snooks, Helen
7cd8ec11-2196-480d-94c9-e94402cdcba2
Williams, Susan
b8bf4399-f14d-48b9-b668-5aa4dee1add3
Crouch, Robert
7f98a42e-ee34-4520-ab33-83cd3acf05b7
Foster, Theresa
57840909-db8d-40ea-9ed2-c6d4e6779331
Hartley-Sharpe, Chris
fd156025-315b-4e5d-9038-843d6bb11669
Dale, Jeremy
36604f7b-015b-42b2-9f6a-3191b432ebc3

Snooks, Helen, Williams, Susan, Crouch, Robert, Foster, Theresa, Hartley-Sharpe, Chris and Dale, Jeremy (2002) NHS emergency response to 999 calls: alternatives for cases that are neither life threatening nor serious. BMJ, 325 (7359), 330-333. (doi:10.1136/bmj.325.7359.330).

Record type: Article

Abstract

Ambulance services and emergency departments are under increasing pressure as the number of emergency calls continues to rise but in many cases, patients do not need immediate clinical care. Helen Snooks and colleagues consider the alternatives to the standard NHS response and review the current literature.
The number of emergency (999) calls received by ambulance services in the United Kingdom has risen consistently over recent years. Ambulance services must respond to calls immediately by sending vehicles staffed by paramedics, with flashing lights and sirens. All patients have to be taken to an accident and emergency department. This response is not always appropriate, and it can result in inefficient use of resources and unnecessary risks to the general public, patients, and paramedics.
The NHS Plan and the recent consultation document Reforming Emergency Care have emphasised the importance of trying new approaches to deliver appropriate care. They highlight the need to consider new ways to integrate the ambulance response to 999 calls into the overall system that deals with emergencies.

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More information

Published date: August 2002
Keywords: emergency response, 999 calls, alternatives to 999, non life threatening emergencies, non serious

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 9506
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/9506
ISSN: 0959-8138
PURE UUID: e3a44344-1ff4-4c83-ae69-9d876f6f7ed9

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Date deposited: 05 Oct 2004
Last modified: 15 Mar 2024 04:55

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Contributors

Author: Helen Snooks
Author: Susan Williams
Author: Robert Crouch
Author: Theresa Foster
Author: Chris Hartley-Sharpe
Author: Jeremy Dale

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