Paramedics inundated with calls to fall victims (From Daily Echo)

Paramedics inundated with calls to fall victims

12:35pm Wednesday 23rd December 2009 in

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UNDER pressure ambulance chiefs are urging members of the public to stay at home after a huge increase in calls due to the icy weather.

South Central Ambulance Service NHS Trust (SCAS) saw an increase in the number of calls to attend to people who have been injured having sustained falls or been involved in road accidents.

As a result the advice is not to go out unless your journey is absolutely Necessary.

A spokesman said they had seen a huge increase in calls during this morning’s rush hour: “ Between 6am and 9.59am this morning the service received 82 emergency calls to people who have suffered falls, between midnight and 6am we received 3 calls to falls. On a normal average day we see around 62 calls to attend to people with falls.

Between 6am and 9.59am this morning SCAS also received 16 calls to attend to Road Traffic Incidents, in a normal day we would see 16 across a whole 24 hour period.”

She added that all qualified clinical staff are out on the road responding to emergency calls, including the Divisional Director who is a qualified Paramedic.

The spokesman added: “We are doing everything that we can to manage these demands but the message is please do not go out unless your journey is absolutely necessary and please only phone in the event of an emergency. We are not a taxi service.

“Please help us keep ambulances free for patients who really do need our help by only phoning in the event of a serious medical emergency such as: heart attack, severe loss of blood, difficulty breathing or a serious accident. If you are suffering a minor injury or illness please thing about an alternative pathway of care, such as calling NHS Direct, visiting a walk-in centre or visiting your GP.”