Emergency Ambulance callouts (FOI)

​Request

A

Over the last year how many 999 emergency calls for an ambulance have resulted in the caller being told that an ambulance could not be sent because no ambulance was available?

B

Of those how many resulted in an ambulance subsequently being sent?

C

And how many resulted in another emergency vehicle like a police car or fire engine being sent?

Response

This response relates to 2018.

A

With respect to ambulances not being available at the time of the emergency call, no information is held.

B

All calls received result in the dispatch of an ambulance as soon as one is available.

C

There was only one incidence recorded of another emergency vehicle being dispatched instead of an ambulance. In this case, as no injuries were involved, a fire crew was sent.

In 2018 there were 29 incidences where a fire crew was dispatched in addition to an ambulance. The reasons can include:

• where an ambulance is not available immediately

• a fire crew is required to assist an ambulance crew

• the fire crew are closer to an incident than an ambulance crew, hence attend first

However, this specific information is not held in our records