Treat more patients at roadside, 999 crews told

HALF of patients who call for an ambulance should be treated over the phone or at the scene to reduce pressure on casualty wards, a report says.

Ambulances should not be seen as ‘a taxi to A&E’ and paramedics should try to deal with people at home, it said.

The review of England’s ten ambulance trusts found the NHS could save £500million a year if it was more efficient. Crews attended more than seven million incidents last year.

Better assessments of patients during 999 calls would also help to ease the strain on ambulance crews, according to the report by Lord Carter of Coles.

The Labour peer, who is nonexecutive director at NHS Improvement, which oversees all NHS trusts, also warned that, because of its ageing fleet, the health service will need 3,300 new ambulances within five years – 700 more than ambulance trusts have anticipated.

Staff sickness is also among the worst in the NHS, with an average of 20 days each a year.

Lord Carter said: ‘Too many patients are unnecessarily taken to A&E, putting further pressure on services already on the back foot.’