The heads of an NHS ambulance service have voiced their concerns about the damaging effects of a criminal offence in a moving BBC One series. Now in its 13th season, the documentary Ambulance follows the ‘life and death decisions’ of NHS crews on the frontline.
Last week, viewers saw dispatchers receive a call reporting multiple patient injuries. However, when emergency responders arrived, it was revealed to be a hoax.
Astonishingly, the prank caller continued to make false reports until managers had no choice but to block their number for eight hours. While such incidents are rare, London Ambulance staff have since stated that his calls affected ‘patients in genuine need’ across the city who were awaiting assistance.
This included an elderly patient discovered on her bathroom floor by a neighbour who had been stuck there for a distressing 24 hours. In light of this, Darren Farmer, Director of Ambulance Operations for London Ambulance Service, said: “Hoax calls to 999 are a criminal offence because they threaten lives.
“Every hoax call we attend takes valuable resources away from genuine emergencies and can delay ambulances reaching patients with a life-threatening illness or injury. We work with the police to prosecute where possible as this behaviour is completely unacceptable and callers can face imprisonment or a fine.
“If a caller repeatedly impacts our ability to answer calls we can stop them from connecting to emergency services for eight hours. However, we have to treat every 999 call as genuine until we can rule it out.”
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Between 2015 and 2019, London Ambulance Service received a staggering 4,647 hoax calls, and 2,821 were attended by crews, according to The Standard. It reportedly cost the NHS around £205.93 every time emergency teams arrived at the scene to respond each incident.
Daniel Elkeles, London Ambulance Service Chief Executive, also added: “Thankfully hoax calls aren’t common but this episode shows their devastating impact: they waste time and resources but worse than that they delay care for those patients who really need us.
“But despite the challenges this episode highlights how exceptional our people are. From the dispatchers making life or death decisions about where to send ambulances to the call handlers and crews treating patients with care, commitment and compassion.
“This is not an easy job – but viewers will see that it is an extraordinary one and it can be both rewarding and exciting.”
Viewers can catch episodes of ‘Ambulance’ on BBC iPlayer.
