BMJ 2002;325:330-333 ( 10 August )

Education and debate

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

Helen Snooks, senior lecturer ^a, Susan Williams, research fellow ^b, Robert Crouch, consultant nurse ^b, Theresa Foster, research associate ^c, Chris Hartley-Sharpe, senior operations officer ^c, Jeremy Dale, director ^d. 

^a Centre for Postgraduate Studies, Swansea Clinical School, University of Wales, Swansea SA2 8PP, ^b School of Nursing and Midwifery, University of Southampton, Southampton SO17 1BJ, ^c London Ambulance Service NHS Trust, London SE1 8SD, ^d Centre for Primary Health Care Studies, University of Warwick, Coventry CV4 7AL

Correspondence to: H Snooks h.a.snooks@swan.ac.uk

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

Ambulance services and emergency departments are under increasing pressure as the number of emergency calls continues to risebut 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. ^{1 2} They highlight the need to consider . . . [Full text of this article]

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This article has been cited by other articles:

• Dixon, S, Mason, S, Knowles, E, Colwell, B, Wardrope, J, Snooks, H, Gorringe, R, Perrin, J, Nicholl, J (2009). Is it cost effective to introduce paramedic practitioners for older people to the ambulance service? Results of a cluster randomised controlled trial. Emerg. Med. J. 26: 446-451 [Abstract] [Full text]  
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Rapid Responses:

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