Calling 999
Making the Call The first person you will hear when you dial ‘999’ is the telephone operator who will ask which emergency service you require. If it is an ambulance you require, the call is then passed to the Emergency Operations Centre (EOC). Ambulance Call operators will ask you where you would like the ambulance to come to? You should keep calm and give the exact location and the telephone number you are calling from. Please do not end the call. It is important that you stay on the line and continue to listen to important advice given to you by ambulance staff. In some cases you will be transferred to a Paramedic in the Control Centre who will discuss the medical situation with you before deciding on the most appropriate medical attention you should receive. The Emergency Control Dispatcher will send the most appropriate resource to the scene utilising information technology including global positioning systems, to display the location of vehicles and their progress to the scene. The trust has over 400 emergency vehicles. The ambulance service is required to reach a patient as soon as possible in order to quickly assess and treat the patient’s condition. Ambulance Paramedics, Emergency Medical Technicians and Community First Responder will use a variety of skills and expertise at the scene. To help them, they will also use a range of equipment including: Journey to hospital If the patient’s condition requires hospitalisation, the ambulance crew will make the necessary arrangements for the patient to be transferred to the nearest medical unit. During the journey to hospital the patient’s condition is regularly assessed and monitored.
Emergency Operations Centre
The Control Operator will ask you what the problem is. Once again you must keep calm and give as much information as you can. While you are in conversation with the Control Operator, an emergency crew is independently being arranged.
On the way
The Ambulance Service may respond the following:
On the scene