West Midlands Ambulance Service warning after hoax suicide call in Stafford

Staff were sent to a car park in Stafford along with Staffordshire Police after a person rang 999 to report a person hanging from a lamppost around 7.20pm.

Two ambulances, a paramedic area support officer and trauma doctor were among those who attended.

However, after a search of the area, there was no sign of any suicide attempt. The nearby phone box where the call had come from was empty.

West Midlands Ambulance Service dispatch worker Jo Bird tweeted her concerns after the hoax was revealed.

A spokeswoman for West Midlands Ambulance Service said: "The Trust's control room in Stafford received a 999 call at 7.20pm last night reporting a patient in cardiac arrest after a suicide attempt in a car park in the Stafford area. Due to the serious nature of this case, the highest category of call, two ambulances, a paramedic area support officer and MERIT trauma doctor were immediately responded along with the police.

"After a search of the area, ambulance staff and police couldn't find the incident. The call came from a telephone box nearby which, after being located, was found to be empty."

The trust has now reminded hoax callers that wasted calls leaves them tied up and sometimes not available to help a patient in genuine need.

The spokeswoman added: " All 999 calls are received in good faith, so to receive hoax calls such as this is extremely frustrating for our control room and front-line ambulance staff. All they want to do is help patients in their hour of need. If our staff are tied up dealing with a hoax they are clearly not available to help a patient in genuine need.

"We would ask anyone who has made a hoax call how they would feel if that call had meant their loved one didn't receive the care they desperately needed and some harm had come to them – would they be able to live with the guilt? Please think carefully before dialling 999 – someone's life could depend on it."