THE number of hoax calls received by the South Western Ambulance Service NHS Trust has decreased year-on-year since 2018, figures show.

In response to a Freedom of Information request submitted by the County Gazette, the ambulance service said it received 289 hoax calls last year, compared to 384 in 2020 and 651 in 2019.

A total of 861 hoax calls were made to the service in 2018 – around three times more than last year.

The figures provided relate to 999 calls where the handler marked 'hoax' as the reason for the call ending.

Calls made to the ambulance service in good faith that turn out to be unnecessary are not recorded as hoax calls.

The South Western Ambulance Service NHS Trust covers Avon, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, Devon, Dorset, Somerset, Wiltshire, and Gloucestershire.

Somerset County Gazette: The number of hoax calls the ambulance service has received has decreased year-on-year since 2018.The number of hoax calls the ambulance service has received has decreased year-on-year since 2018.

The trust says it has raised awareness of the severity of hoax calls and the impact they can have on people experiencing medical emergencies.

A spokesperson for the South Western Ambulance Service NHS Trust said: “The number of hoax calls we receive has been decreasing year-on-year.

“Through education and awareness, we are informing people that hoax calls have consequences.

“Just one hoax call could mean a delay in us reaching a patient who is in a life-threatening situation.

“We would like to continue to remind people that calling 999 and requesting an ambulance is for genuine, life-threatening emergencies only.”

Somerset County Gazette: The service says it is "informing people that hoax calls have consequences". Picture: Dominic Lipinski, PA WireThe service says it is "informing people that hoax calls have consequences". Picture: Dominic Lipinski, PA Wire

In total, 2,185 hoax calls have been made to the ambulance service since 2018.

The trust does not calculate how much time it spends answering hoax calls or how much money it costs to deal with them.

According to a BBC report from September, the national average cost of responding to a 999 call is £69.

This means hoax calls may have cost the service around £19,941 last year and £150,765 since 2018.

Parents are encouraged to teach their children the importance of only dialling 999 in an emergency and the consequences of making hoax calls.

On the hoax calls page of its website, the trust says it works with the police and other partners “to seek the prosecution of people who abuse the 999 system”.

As well as hoax calls, the service has discouraged callers from ringing 999 after an initial call to check when an ambulance will arrive. 

On March 10, the trust tweeted: “We're currently experiencing extremely high demand on our service. 

“999 is for life-threatening emergencies ONLY. 

“Please do not ring back to ask for an estimated arrival time, only call back if the patient’s condition worsens or you no longer need our help.”