Ambulance service to bring in 100 extra call handlers to help cope with surging demand

-Credit: (Image: Reach Publishing Services Limited)
-Credit: (Image: Reach Publishing Services Limited)


The region's ambulance service is to bring in more than 100 extra call handlers to help cope with unprecedented demand.

Roles are being advertised, with West Midlands Ambulance Service (WMAS) keen to beef up its call handling workforce following a surge in emergency calls over recent months.

The service faced a crisis during July and issued a plea for people only to ring 999 in an emergency as nearly 1,200 emergency calls went unanswered.

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Unprecedented strain was placed on call handlers during the month as a record number of 999 calls were made.

Answered calls for a single month rose above 100,000 for the time since at least 2018 in June. A total of 103,621 emergency calls were answered that month. The total then surged to 129,063 the following month before falling slightly to 110,402 in August.

Part of the problem was frustrated people who had already dialled 999 calling back to ask where their ambulance was. Despite the struggles, WMAS said it is among the best performing services in the country.

Bosses are encouraging anyone interested in becoming a call handler - and be the first line of contact in emergency situations - to apply.

Funding from NHS England has allowed the service to bring in more call handlers.

Roles are being offered with a salary of between £20,333 and £21,177, plus "unsocial hours enhancements".

Call handler Karen joined in December 2019 and said she finds the job extremely rewarding.

She said: "I'd recently lost my job, a job I'd been in for 13 years. Straight away I knew I wanted to work for West Midlands Ambulance Service.

"Being a call assessor is absolutely fantastic. It's really rewarding, I enjoy it every single day I come into work.

"All calls can be difficult but the one I'm most proud of is my first cardiac arrest. I performed CPR over the phone with the caller. The gentlemen later made a full recovery.

"I later had feedback from the dispatch team. The caller thanked me for all the help."

A West Midlands Ambulance Service spokesman said: “During July, West Midlands Ambulance Service had the best call answering performance in the country, but unfortunately, we were not able to answer all of the emergency calls that were made, for which we apologise.

“The additional funding announced by NHS England in the summer means that we are recruiting hundreds of new call assessors, dozens of whom are now taking emergency calls.

“Local NHS services were and remain under severe pressure; hospital handover delays unfortunately mean patients are waiting longer for an ambulance response, which results in patients ringing back to find out where their ambulance is.

“If you have called 999 and an ambulance has been arranged for you, please do not call back asking for a time of arrival as this could delay us speaking to another patient who needs our help.

"Only call back if the patient’s condition worsens or you no longer need our help.”

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