The 999 Emergency Call Handler | Paramedics On Scene | BBC Scotland

[@nevillemason6791]

During the Covid pandemic the Scottish Ambulance call handlers weren't immune. So many went off sick all at once that some calls had to be diverted to be processed in England. These went to a Northwest Ambulance centre in Garston, south Liverpool. There must have been some interesting communication issues especially as the call handlers probably had zero knowledge of place names!

[@ArcticWolf-bg4mx]

All calls are priority one when i worked there

[@christinafast4459]

Wow, of course you don’t slap if it just gets worse

[@lucylou9030]

When I was 4 I got a sherbet lemon stuck in the back of my throat. My brother looked at me and shouted my dad and told him I'd turned blue. My dad ran outside with me, turned me upside down and hit my back , the sweet flew out. If he hadn't of done that i would of chocked to death. Just saying.

[@Mezame9]

I am highly confused. In every First Aid course I have attended I have always been trained to apply back strikes and chest thrusts if coughing does not dislodge the obstruction. Even First Aid videos found online today advise the same thing. So why on earth is this 999 dispatcher advising against First Aid? Please be consistent NHS, is it advisable or not advisable to deliver back strikes to a chocking victim? Especially when the obstruction is still present.

[@callum6835]

The dispatcher will ask "Is s/he breathing, coughing or crying at all", if the answer is yes then it's assumed some air is able to bypass the blockage to some extent, meaning some form of breathing can be sustained. If this patient receives back blows and chest thrusts it is possible the object could become dislodged further and cause a complete blockage rather than partial. On the other hand, if the caller answers "no" when asked if the patient "is breathing, coughing or crying at all?" then a full blockage is assumed and Heimlich instructions are advised. Hope that helps

[@callum6835]

Replace *"Crying" for an infant/child, with "talking" for an adult *... I think is the correct wording dispatchers will ask

[@ArcticWolf-bg4mx]

I worked there for two summers

[@admiralsturgeon]

So what are we supposed to do then if we can't slap them on the back?

[@rachaeltaylor5387]

I thought exactly the same . I'm a dental nurse abd every CPR course has said the same? Confused

[@Autisticbanmeforbeingdifferent]

Ever heard of Heimlich maneuver?

[@irrelevance3859]

@@rachaeltaylor5387let the cough it out. I did this job and reason its said is because one, Its assumed the person calling has already slapped them on the back and it hasn’t come out yet. And two its very hard to instruct back blows over the phone correctly. People do it wrong or sometimes the person calling doesn’t have the right force to do a proper back blow. So it can turn a partial obstruction into a full one. If the person can still breathe/cough. They should try cough it out. If they can’t then abdominal thrusts/Heimlich is instructed. If they go unconscious then CPR.

[@DanielFowles-q7b]

Wont do you need for ambulances call handing ok

[@Michael-vf3ih]

Innocent not the only one Do the crime do the time & don't cry like the police courts of law guards judges cps ect, squeal piggy squeal