TIME-WASTERS, hypo- chondriacs and bogus callers to Oxfordshire’s ambulance service are wasting more than £3m a year in taxpayers’ money, the Oxford Mail can reveal.

The true cost of unnecessary 999 calls to paramedics across the county emerged just as an Oxford Mail investigation caught a woman phoning South Central Ambulance Service (SCAS) from Japan to get help for her father in Oxford to undo a nasal spray.

According to figures released by South Central Ambulance Service, someone wrongly calls asking for an ambulance when there is not a bona fide emergency once every 17 minutes.

Of almost 36,500 calls received from county residents since April, ambulance staff said about half were either non-emergency or ‘crank’ calls.

Among those ringing every night and demanding emergency treatment are people with toothache, colds and even hiccups.

Drunks using the ambulance as a ‘taxi service’, over cautious mothers and street brawlers are also placing a huge strain on the service, it was claimed by emergency operation centre workers.

On Saturday the Oxford Mail spent the night at the call centre in Bicester to witness the true scale of the problem.

The woman calling from Japan for help for her father in Oxford had said he was having problems breathing. When operators called the man back it was discovered he was actually struggling to undo the cap on his nasal spray.

Each time an ambulance is sent out it costs the taxpayer £150.

Russel Farrant, control shift officer for Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire, said many of the time wasting calls in Oxford came from Blackbird Leys, Greater Leys, and Cowley.

He said the public needed to be better educated about when to call for emergency help.

Mr Farrant said: “Only about 50 per cent of people who call are actually seriously medically unwell.

“Yesterday we took a call from a gentleman who had the hiccups and was concerned that they’d lasted a while.

“Fortunately our clinical support desk advised them that hiccups are perfectly normal and not life-threatening.

“I’ve taken a couple of calls in the past for people who have no transport or money so would like us to get their prescription for them.”

Fellow shift officer Jennifer Michel added: “It can be the most rewarding job, or the most frustrating. Most of the time you get abuse on the phone on Friday and Saturday nights from people who have drunk too much.

“But in between all the drunks and time wasters, there will be a little old lady who is struggling to breathe.

“She will be so apologetic for bothering you and you just feel awful that, because of all these time wasters, resources are being diverted away.”

Since April, paramedics have attended 31,761 callouts in Oxfordshire, but more than a third of patients did not need to go to hospital.

Trust spokesman James Keating-Wilkes said the SCAS was approaching its busiest period over Christmas.

He said: “If you aren’t suffering from a life-threatening emergency but require medical advice or treatment there are several different options available to you, including calling NHS Direct on 0845 4647.

“If you are suffering from a life-threatening emergency, such as a heart attack, severe loss of blood, difficulty in breathing or a serious accident, dial 999 immediately.”