"My neighbor came here and she gave me a sandwich, cheese, and tomato. Anyway, I feel quite sick now. I looked at the tomatoes and there's mildew on them."
This is the actual transcription of a call made to the Welsh Ambulance Service, emergency number 999. The operator answered "OK, is that why you’re requiring an ambulance?"
The Welsh Ambulance Service named it one of the most inappropriate calls made to 999 in the past year. Other examples were someone who had got their plaster cast wet, a person with an earring lodged inside their ear asking for a “lift” to the Emergency Department, and another person who dialed 999 for a papercut.
In the face of unprecedented demand, the ambulance service is reminding people only to call 999 in a serious or life-threatening emergency. Chief Executive Jason Killens said: “Our ambulance service exists to help people who are seriously ill or injured, or where there is an immediate threat to their life. “Non-essential calls represent nearly a quarter of our total 999 calls, and time spent dealing with these could be time spent helping someone in a life or death situation.”