Hoax 999 calls: “Devastating” impact revealed in TV Show Ambulance
The “devastating” impact of hoax 999 calls was among the revelations on the TV Show Ambulance. Viewers saw how dispatchers at London Ambulance Services responded to an emergency call about multiple injured patients.
The crews of the Ambulance, along with the police teams, were sent to the scene only to find that it had been a hoax 999 call. The hoax 999 caller continued to ring back and make false reports until, following a number of warnings ,managers had to take the “extreme step” of blocking the number for the next eight hours.
The hoax 999 calls impacted patients in genuine need across London who were waiting on an ambulance. This included an elderly patient who was discovered on the floor of the bathroom by her neighbour. London Ambulance crewmates Shyr-Nai and James were dispatched to help her, finding that she had been on the floor for 24-hours!
“Hoax calls to 999 are a criminal offence because they threaten lives,” Darren Farmer, Director of Ambulance Operations for London Ambulance Service, said. “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 8 hours. However, we have to treat every 999 call as genuine until we can rule it out.”
The episode also showed viewers how call handler Nicole took a call in the 999 control room from a patient suffering from a miscarriage. Nicole gave advice to the patient but became overwhelmed and was consoled by a fellow call handler.
It triggered great distress for Nicole who recalled her own miscarriage. “I didn’t know what to do. I felt like it was my fault; I was lost. I don’t want anyone to feel helpless, the way that I have felt helpless.”
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