The Questions that are asked on a 999 emergency ambulance call

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The ambulance service will ask you “What is the address of the emergency?”

Tell them (or the interpreter) the address of the emergency. They may ask you to tell them the address again to make sure they get the address right.

The post code of the emergency is very helpful to us.

If you do not know the address where you are, tell them the street name and the town, or a nearby shop, or something about the place where you are.

You can use the what3words app.

You can download the app on to your mobile phone in case you ever need to use it.

They will ask “What is the telephone number you are calling from?”

Tell them the phone number of the phone that you are using to make the call. They may ask you to tell them the telephone number again.

They will ask

“Is the patient awake?”

“Is the patient breathing?”

“Tell me exactly what has happened”.

Tell them what is wrong with the patient.

“Are you with the patient now?”

“How old is the patient?”

Tell them how old the person is, if you know.

We may need to ask more questions. Sometimes we ask a lot of questions.We need to know as much as possible so that we can give you the best help. If an ambulance is needed, these extra questions will not delay the ambulance. Try to stay calm. Try your best to answer all the questions.

If you do not know how to answer, that is OK. Tell us and we will ask the next question.

The ambulance service call taker will listen to your answers and tell you if an ambulance will be sent.

We will tell you approximately how long it will take for the ambulance arrive.

The ambulance staff might stay on the phone with you until the ambulance comes.

You might speak to a nurse or a paramedic. A paramedic or nurse might phone you back.

Before they end the call, the call taker will ask you for your name and date of birth.

Sometimes, if it is not an emergency, a patient might not need an ambulance. If an ambulance is not needed, the call taker, paramedic or nurse will tell you what to do.

We might ask you to visit your doctor (GP)