I have been an emergency call handler for more than a year now and every day I learn something new. Thursday evening is the first of four night shifts. It begins at a steady pace with the usual calls for chest or abdominal pains plus the odd fall or faint. Just before it's time to head out of the door I get a call from someone who is screaming. Once I have the address confirmed, it's time to find out what is happening. The woman shouts that her husband has stopped breathing. Instantly, the ambulance is dispatched. Now we need to concentrate on helping the patient. I manage to calm down the caller enough to give instructions on how to do effective CPR. I don't know what happened next – we don't re-access the job to see what the outcome is because of patient confidentiality. Although it can be frustrating, it's important to respect the law, and to be able to detach yourself.
Friday night is a different story – we're kept very busy with everything from a five-year-old with a cough to someone who is unconscious through intoxication. Not everyone who dials 999 fully understands what we do and often we are subject to verbal abuse as the caller thinks that we are wasting their time. We are asking questions for two reasons: one, so that we can pass the information on to the ambulance crew, and two, so that we can manage the symptoms of the patient to help keep them safe and comfortable until the ambulance arrives.
Saturday night brings much the same as Friday. However, at 1.37am I take a call from a man whose partner has gone into labour After bringing him down from the initial shock, I start to assess the stage of labour, and it's obvious this baby wants to arrive. Getting the parents ready for this is a challenge, but within a minute, out he comes. It's great to hear a baby take his first breath and start to cry.
Sunday night, and I have the last shift before my day off. First up is a baby choking, not an uncommon call but always distressing and you can't help but feel drained afterwards. Not long after, I speak to a young man who wants to end his life. Unfortunately these types of calls are becoming more common. No kind of training prepares you for this and you have to think very quickly. After a long chat about what is happening and why, it's time to hand over to the professionals – the police and ambulance crews have specialist teams who liaise with each other. Then it's intoxicated and unco-operative callers into the early hours.
You can never predict what is going to happen – but this is the most rewarding job I have ever done. I look forward to going to work every day knowing that I am going to make a difference to someone, somewhere.
