Abuse Of Service?

[maggiebee]

Just read this in our local paper. Should they be charged for this?

Ambulances were called out to a Dundee property a staggering 52 times in just ONE year it has been revealed.

And on just two of those occasions somebody was taken to hospital by paramedics.

The figures, from a Freedom of Information request, also showed crews spent 31 hours and 43 minutes going back and forward between the property between April 2013 and April 2014.

[kvalidir]

It depends to be honest on whether mental illness or mental disability played a role. If it didn't then yes absolutely :(

[Mamyalynne]

It would be helpful to know more background really, not every Ambulance call results in hospital admission.

If malicious call outs then it does need action, yes.

[Old_Geezer]

The same property ?
Not every Saturday night after closing time was it ?

[EcclesCake]

It would depend on the circumstances really.

Someone being overly cautious and not receiving adequate reassurance?

Or if it was someone with mental health problems that aren't being properly addressed/managed.

There really isn't enough information to draw a conclusion but it does sound like there is a problem there but I'm not sure charging is the answer.

[jackthehat]

I'd lay a pound to a penny that the householder has some sort of mental issues, possibly exacerbated by alcohol.

It would save the Emergency Services time and money if they weren't expected to take up the slack left by cutbacks in Mental Health Services, and act as Social Workers.

[Tizzi24]

There was a case like this on a TV documentary recently. An elderly lady (can't remember where she lived) who was bedridden, kept calling the ambulance service because she'd slipped down the bed. I think over a 2 year period she'd cost the NHS £58,000. Social Services kept trying to persuade her to go into a care home, but she was adamant she wanted to stay at home. Her husband, who wasn't in the best of health himself was quite prepared to go into a care home with her, but she wouldn't have any of it.

[boxtops]

It doesn't sound as if these were malicious callouts, but without more information,we just don't know. Unlike the woman who called police 999 recently because the icecream seller hadn't put sprinkles on her icecream....

[boxtops]

this one :-( http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-birmingham-27687763

[Baldric]

Found this

http://www.eveningtelegraph.co.uk/news/local/ambulance-called-out-52-times-to-one-dundee-house-1.424941

[Mamyalynne]

I still maintain that without more details of a particular case it is impossible to know whether they need sanctioning or more help.

[pixie373]

I think it's impossible to tell too. The report says someone was admitted on 4 occasions, which is quite a lot in one year and that it doesn't include nursing or care homes (?)
Tizzi's post shows the lack of common sense that nothing is done to help. Surely you would move the phone out of the lady's reach and give her an alarm button instead?
I really don't know if it's a deliberate time-waster or someone with mental health problems either.