An old recommendation for a national crash call number already exists
Dear Sir,
I am surprised that the report did not acknowledge the existence of
an old recommendation of similar nature. In 1996, we reported in this
journal a s survey of switchboards of acute hospitals in the North Thames
regions to establish the crash call numbers used and found 14 crash call
dialling numbers(1). A repsonse indicated a similar (unpublished) study
was carried out earlier that year in the Oxfordshire region gave similar
results. As a result of his study, Dr Michael Ward wrote to ask the chief
medical officer to recommend standardisation of crash call numbers along
the lines of the 999 emergency system. A reply from the NHS Estates Agency
directed him to a publication on telephone services (one of the "health
building notes")(3). In this document a paragraph deals with calls to the
emergency services, and a recommendation is given that "the telephone
number for emergency services should be easy to remember and easy to dial.
Staff moving from one location to another will not be confused if health
care premises use the same number, but this may not be practical in every
case. The preferred number to call is 222 or 2222 as appropriate."
It seems a very long time to get moving on such seemingly a
staightforward issue and I do hope that the renewed recommendations are
implemented promptly.
Yours sincerely
Salem A Beshyah, PhD FRCP
1. Beshyah SA, Schiff R, Al-Jehani FH. National crash call number is
needed. BMJ 1996;313:429. (17 August.)
2. Ward M. A recommendation already exists BMJ 1996;313:1404 (30
November)
3. NHS Estates, Department of Health, and the
Welsh Office. Telephone services. London: DoH, 1989. (Health building note
(HBN) 48.)
Competing interests:
None declared
Competing interests:
No competing interests
11 March 2004
Salem A Beshyah
Consultant Physician
Princess Alexandra Hospital, Harlow, Essex, CM20 1QX
Rapid Response:
An old recommendation for a national crash call number already exists
Dear Sir,
I am surprised that the report did not acknowledge the existence of
an old recommendation of similar nature. In 1996, we reported in this
journal a s survey of switchboards of acute hospitals in the North Thames
regions to establish the crash call numbers used and found 14 crash call
dialling numbers(1). A repsonse indicated a similar (unpublished) study
was carried out earlier that year in the Oxfordshire region gave similar
results. As a result of his study, Dr Michael Ward wrote to ask the chief
medical officer to recommend standardisation of crash call numbers along
the lines of the 999 emergency system. A reply from the NHS Estates Agency
directed him to a publication on telephone services (one of the "health
building notes")(3). In this document a paragraph deals with calls to the
emergency services, and a recommendation is given that "the telephone
number for emergency services should be easy to remember and easy to dial.
Staff moving from one location to another will not be confused if health
care premises use the same number, but this may not be practical in every
case. The preferred number to call is 222 or 2222 as appropriate."
It seems a very long time to get moving on such seemingly a
staightforward issue and I do hope that the renewed recommendations are
implemented promptly.
Yours sincerely
Salem A Beshyah, PhD FRCP
1. Beshyah SA, Schiff R, Al-Jehani FH. National crash call number is
needed. BMJ 1996;313:429. (17 August.)
2. Ward M. A recommendation already exists BMJ 1996;313:1404 (30
November)
3. NHS Estates, Department of Health, and the
Welsh Office. Telephone services. London: DoH, 1989. (Health building note
(HBN) 48.)
Competing interests:
None declared
Competing interests: No competing interests