Ambulance service defends categorisation of 999 calls

In April alone, 114 people suffering from life-threatening conditions had their calls treated as less serious

FIGURES released by South Central Ambulance Service (SCAS) show that in April alone, more than 100 people suffering from life-threatening conditions had their calls treated as less serious, resulting in slower ambulance response times.

The figures, obtained by the Newbury Weekly News under the Freedom of Information Act, show that 114 patients suffering from heart attacks, strokes or other serious conditions in Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Hampshire and Oxfordshire had their calls placed in Category B, rather than the most serious category, Category A8.

The Department of Health has set SCAS the target of reaching at least three quarters of Category A8 calls within 8 minutes. There is no nationally set response time target set for category B calls although the SCAS sets itself the target of responding to 95 per cent of these calls within 19 minutes.

SCAS spokeswoman Ngozi Fakeye said that emergency calls to the ambulance service are categorised according to a computer program, which leads the telephone operator through a series of questions based on the caller's responses.

Critics say the system places too much responsibility on the caller to accurately describe the patient's symptons.

Miss Fakeye said that a call relating to a stroke or heart attack victim would be placed in category A8 providing the caller gives the right information but argued that the 114 patients had not been miscategorised because the ambulance service had based its response on the information given at the time.

Newbury MP, Richard Benyon said the figures caused him ‘great concern.'

“One can accept that any emergency service is only as good as the information it is given, but at the same time, there is a dual responsibility and it is also up to the person answering the phone to ask the right questions to find out what is wrong,” he said.

One Thatcham resident, Carole Clark, claimed her recent 999 call was miscategorised.

She said she called 999 after her son's pregnant partner, Karen Cresswell, suffered a brain haemorrhage, a condition which would normally be categorised in category A8 and was left waiting for more than three-quarters of an hour for an ambulance.

After complaining to SCAS, Mrs Clark said: “They made me feel guilty, as if it was my fault, as if they were trying to pin it on me.

“But I am not a doctor and I told them everything I could about her. I told them that she was confused and had fallen on the floor and had shallow breathing. I even told them that she was heavily pregnant.”

Miss Cresswell, who was eventually transported to the hospital by a police car, suffered brain damage, including losing the ability to read or write and severely impacting on her ability to speak.

Miss Fakeye said: “We believe it is important to respond to patient complaints and share the outcomes of our investigations. In this case we clearly explained the process from call to dispatch and apologised for any anxiety caused.

“We regularly audit calls to ensure consistency."