'Call 999, there's a cotton bud stuck in my ear' (From Banbury Cake)

'Call 999, there's a cotton bud stuck in my ear'

8:30pm Monday 8th February 2010

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AN Oxfordshire person who got a cotton bud stuck in their ear was among thousands of people who called out an ambulance unnecessarily in January.

South Central Ambulance Service Trust (SCAS) has revealed it spent about £570,000 on 999 calls which did not require anyone to be taken to hospital last month.

The calls accounted for 40 per cent of the 9,267 emergency calls which were received from across Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire in January.

Many of the emergency calls were from people suffering from minor ailments such as toothaches and small cuts.

In each case an ambulance was sent out at a cost of £150 to the taxpayer.

A paramedic claimed he was being treated as a “taxi service”, and a trust spokesman stressed these types of call were placing a pressure on funds.

Alan Weir, paramedic and SCAS operational manager for south Oxfordshire, said while some of the 40 per cent were treated at the scene, most either refused to get in the ambulances or did not need hospital treatment.

He said: “The main reasons we have not taken people to hospital was because the patient either refused to travel, or we’ve arrived there and they’ve informed us their GP is now handling it.

“Last month we got calls for everything from toothache to someone with a cotton bud stuck in their ear.

“People have been injured for three days with a little cut finger and have decided to call us 72 hours later.

“We also have had problems with youths drinking and feeling unwell.

“The problem we have is that as minors, we can’t leave them there, so end up having to take them home like a taxi service.”

Among the 3,794 wasted calls were 23 hoax 999 calls and 298 calls where the patient had no injury at all.

Mr Weir said the service just wanted people to think before dialling 999.

He added: “We want people to get the right treatment, from the right person, first time.

“Our highly trained crews are specially equipped to deal with life-threatening emergencies and illnesses and we aim to get to these as fast as we possibly can.

“However, our response to these seriously ill patients can be delayed if we’re dealing with minor illness and injuries that may be better dealt with by a GP or another health care service.”

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