Wales' emergency call system attracts global attention for smarter ambulance use

Wales has developed a way of managing 999 calls that is drawing interest from around the world.

Control room staff now use a triage system that categorises calls by urgency, with only 2.6% deemed the most life-threatening on an average day. Most calls do not result in an ambulance being sent – but that is by design.

Clinical navigators assess each of the roughly 50,000 monthly calls and direct them to the most appropriate response. Options include remote assessments, video calls, advanced paramedics who can treat and discharge patients at home, and volunteers.

The Welsh Ambulance Service's executive director of paramedicine, Andy Swinburn, said the aim is to send an ambulance only when someone genuinely needs urgent transport. By managing more lower-priority patients in the community without transferring them to A&E, the service frees up ambulances for heart attacks and strokes.

The approach reflects progress in matching emergency resources to patient need, rather than defaulting to hospital transport.

Gilbert