PEOPLE phoned 999 to ask for help about sunburn, insect bites and flooding on the Isle of Wight last week.

It has led the Isle of Wight NHS Trust to issue an appeal for people to think of alternatives instead of calling the emergency number.

With demand for 999 calls increasing and St Mary’s Hospital's emergency department (A&E) helping more people, the Isle of Wight NHS Trust is encouraging the public, where appropriate, to use NHS 111 online for medical advice.

The NHS 111 online service offers people quick advice on the best option for them to get the care they need, including getting a call back from a trained clinician, booking them an arrival time at A&E or providing advice on how to help them recover.

The Isle of Wight Ambulance Service received 528 emergency 999 calls last week — which was 24.5 per cent higher than in the same week in 2019 before the pandemic.

Call handlers said the issues in recent days have been for non-emergency issues such as sunburn, insect bites and domestic flooding.

People are also being reminded to use NHS 111 first before turning up at A&E.

Victoria White, head of ambulance, said: “Our frontline ambulance crews, 999 and 111 call handlers and the many other teams who ensure we can respond to patients as quickly as possible are working extremely hard as we see continued increase demand for our services.

“We are prioritising those patients that are most sick and severely injured and everyone who needs an ambulance will get one, however there are other and often better options for people to get the care they need.

“As has been the case throughout the pandemic, the public can play their part by using 111 online for urgent advice, calling 999 in life threatening cases and calling back only if their condition worsens.”

The public is still being encouraged to contact 999 if they experience:

  • signs of a heart attack like a pain like a heavy weight in the centre of your chest
  • signs of stroke such as your face dropping on one side
  • difficulty breathing
  • heavy bleeding that won’t stop
  • seizures or sudden and rapid swelling of the eyes, lips, throat or tongue.

People can access 111 online at www.111.nhs.uk