31,000 unnecessary calls for ambulances putting lives at risk

Over 31,000 unnecessary calls were made to the Welsh Ambulance Service in the last year.

There are concerns that a growing number of these calls are diverting resources away from the most life-threatening incidents, putting lives at risk.

That's the warning from the Deputy Health Minister who is highlighting the risks of calling 999 unnecessarily.

Sore throats, colds and toothache were just some of the calls taken by the emergency services in the past year.

Of the 31,000 non-urgent calls made for a 999 emergency ambulance, only three resulted in a patient being admitted for hospital treatment. Nearly half of these calls did not require an emergency ambulance at all.

The nonsense calls come at a cost as every time an emergency ambulance is mobilised it costs the Welsh Ambulance Service an average of £238.

The ambulance service is now asking people to think twice before calling 999.