The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 273 No 7314 p277
28 August 2004

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Alternative to ambulance for non-urgent calls

Patients who call an ambulance for a non-urgent condition could receive treatment from other health care providers rather than automatically being sent an ambulance, Health Minister Rosie Winterton announced last week. “We are giving strategic health authorities, primary care trusts and local ambulance trusts the freedom to work together so they can decide how best to care for patients with non-urgent health needs,” she said.

This differs from the current arrangements in which ambulances have to perform to nationally defined standards for these non-urgent calls. Some of the suggested alternatives to an ambulance being sent include patients being treated at home by a nurse, paramedic or emergency care practitioner, and links with NHS Direct so that advice is given over the telephone.

One way in which pharmacists are becoming more involved in responding to acute conditions is by training as “First Contact” practitioners. This is examined in this week’s News feature on p282.