Emergency calls soar by 10,000

The number of emergency 999 calls made to West Midlands Ambulance Service from residents of the Black Country and Birmingham have soared by 10,000 in seven months. Health bosses say it puts a "strain" on the service.

They are asking people to think carefully before they dial 999. Between April and November 2006, 185,076 emergency calls were made by people in Birmingham and the Black Country. During the same time period this year, that figure had jumped to 195,079 – an increase of 5.4 per cent.

The rise came despite the lack of a warm summer, which ambulance bosses say normally leads to an increase in calls.

West Midlands Ambulance Service spokesman Murray MacGregor said: "It is in line with the national figures and what we have been seeing over the last 10 years.

"One of the reasons people may be making more calls is because people now have a greater expectation of the NHS as it is getting better, and they are also more aware of their own health.

"Some people also may not live near close family members anymore, which could be another reason. "

He added: "It undoubtedly puts more strain on the service as we have more people to deal with, and so have to use more resources."

The service is expecting a big jump in the number of emergency calls in the next few weeks as the festive season gets into full swing.

New Year's Day is expected to be the busiest of the year for the ambulance trust.

One issue which ambulance bosses face is the number of people who call an ambulance for trivial reasons, such as a caller from Wolverhampton who earlier this year dialled 999 to inform the emergency services about loose floorboards.

On average, more than 20,000 emergency calls are made to West Midlands Ambulance Service's operations centre in Brierley Hill each month.

Last year's figures showed that emergency 999 calls for ambulances reached a 10-year high of nearly six million in England during 2005-06.