A chipped tooth, an escaped pet alligator and a finger stuck in a beer bottle are some of the most bizarre calls made to the emergency services in Wales over the past year.
Of the 426,116 calls to the ambulance service last year, 63,836 (15%) were not a life-or-death emergency – an average of 175 calls a day.
Andy Swinburn, executive director of paramedicine, at the Welsh Ambulance Service NHS Trust, said: “Our emergency ambulance service exists for those whose life is in imminent danger.
“That’s people in cardiac arrest, those with chest pain or breathing difficulties, loss of consciousness, choking, severe allergic reactions, catastrophic bleeding or someone having a stroke.
“Most people know the difference between an emergency and something that is just uncomfortable or irritating but not life-threatening, so if you don’t need that time-critical intervention, it’s really important to apply common sense and make the right call.”
Transcripts of some of the most inappropriate calls received by its call handlers have been released by the trust.
– Call 1
Operator: Tell me exactly what’s happened.
Caller: I got my finger stuck in a beer bottle and it will not come out.
Operator: Is your breathing normal for you?
Caller: Yes.
Operator: Are you bleeding or vomiting blood?
Caller: Nope.
Operator: Do you have any pain?
Caller: Yes, in my finger, yes.
– Call 2
Operator: Ambulance, what’s the address of the emergency?
Caller: Hello, I’m really sorry to bother you. I think I’ve broken the front of the top of my tooth, and it’s starting to throb.
– Call 3
Caller: She tried to remove her contact lens. I’m not sure whether she removed it completely because it’s bloodshot around the eye.
Operator: Is the eyeball cut open, out of the socket or is fluid leaking out of it?
Caller: Erm, no.
– Call 4
Operator: Ambulance service, what’s the full address of the emergency?
Caller: Hi, the bracelet is on my wrist and I can’t take it off. It’s so tight.
Operator: Is your breathing normal for you?
Caller: Yeah, I’m breathing normal but I’m still suffering.
Operator: You’re suffering?
Caller: Yeah. How much will the ambulance cost?
Operator: It doesn’t cost anything.
Caller: It’s free, right?
Operator: Yeah.
– Call 5
Operator: Ambulance service, what’s the full address of the emergency?
Caller: I was cutting my nails, and I’ve cut through half of my toe. I just wondered if there was any chance someone could come out and just patch me up?
Operator: When you say you’ve cut through half of your toe…
Caller: Well, I’ve cut my little nail on the toe and I’ve nipped across the top of it.
– Call 6
Operator: Is the patient awake?
Caller: Yeah, it’s an alligator.
Operator: Pardon?
Caller: It’s a pet alligator. It’s got loose and I’m scared to death. I don’t like it. I do not like it. I think it’s under the sofa.
Operator: Right, OK, we won’t be able to send an ambulance for an alligator that’s escaped.
Caller: Right, so unless I get bit?
Operator: Unfortunately, we can’t send an ambulance for an alligator. Perhaps you can ring your vet?
– Call 7
Operator: Is the patient awake?
Caller: Oh yeah, there’s no problem with that. It’s just she needs to be treated on her hand.
Operator: Is she breathing?
Caller: No problem with all that, it’s a hand injury that needs sorting out.
Operator: How did this happen?
Caller: We were practising kung fu.
– Call 8
Operator: Tell me exactly what’s happened.
Caller: I stuck my finger in a plug socket, and I felt no effect but I’m ruling out if I electrocuted myself.
Operator: In a plug socket?
Caller: By accident, without thinking. And I’m worried that I could be electrocuted.
– Call 9
Operator: Ambulance service, what’s the full address of the emergency?
Caller: It don’t matter, I’ve just got a question, a general question, mate. My GP refuses to give me sleeping pills. How do I get hold of sleeping pills to sleep?
– Call 10
Operator: Is the patient awake?
Caller: Yes.
Operator: Are they breathing?
Caller: Yes. She was trying to clean her ear with a cotton bud. The wool fell in her ear.
Operator: Is she responding normally?
Caller: Yes, she’s responding normally but she can’t hear very well with the left ear.
– Call 11
Operator: Tell me exactly what’s happened.
Caller: I’m locked out of the house and I’m trying to get in.
Operator: So, what’s the reason for the ambulance?
Caller: I’m cold and I’m trying to get into the house.
Operator: OK, so you’re cold?
Caller: Yeah.
