Welcome to the homepage of the
Have you ever dialled 999 for an ambulance and
had to wait for what seems to be an eternity?
The East Midlands Volunteer Ambulance Support Team
(EMVAST) are here to bridge that gap.
Whilst it is no fault of the local Ambulance Service; a steep rise in the demand for the 999 service along with poor education of exactly what to call 999 for and a sharp decrease in funding, this is often what happens.
Each NHS Ambulance Service would love to have an ambulance for each street and more just in case. However, this is never going to be practical or a reality so we have to assist in any way possible.
EMVAST are committed to doing exactly this; to attend 999 calls and treat the patients.
Also, we are committed to attempt to educate the public on what to use the 999 service for. Some examples of recent calls to the 999 service include:
- someone who was lonely (tied up a paramedic ambulance for 30 minutes)
- someone who had an itch in his ear
- many people who have injuries to their hands, arms and feet and get their relatives to follow the ambulance to the hospital (do they REALLY require the ambulance when they could get in the car??)
These types of 999 call do not really require an emergency ambulance and can be diverted to other areas of the NHS such as GP's, Minor Injury Units, Pharmacy's etc. Please visit www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk if you are unsure.
To learn more about what we do, please use the menu to the left.
