Nearly Half of 999 Callers Do Not Require Emergency Care

Research indicates that nearly half of the patients transported by ambulance to Accident and Emergency (A&E) departments do not require hospital treatment. According to NHS data, approximately two million patients per year are taken to hospitals by ambulance but are not subsequently admitted.

This trend highlights a significant gap between the utilization of emergency transport and the actual medical necessity for acute hospital care, placing substantial pressure on the healthcare system.

Ambulance Service Pressures and Call Volume

The strain on emergency services is further evidenced by call volume data. Research from Five9, conducted via Freedom of Information requests, found that for 45% of NHS ambulance trusts, more than four in five calls are categorized as non-urgent or not life-threatening.

During the year starting in May 2021, ambulance services handled 12.5 million calls. This period was marked by record-high response times as services faced unprecedented demand.

Brian Atkinson, General Manager and Vice President EMEA at Five9, stated that call handling staff are being flooded by non-urgent calls, which diverts time and resources away from patients requiring critical care.

Technological Integration and AI

Despite the high volume of non-urgent calls, the adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) to screen and prioritize these contacts remains low among UK ambulance services.

Of the fourteen UK Ambulance Service Trusts that responded to the Five9 research, 91% of eleven trusts were not using AI for call handling, meaning most calls were processed manually.

The research further revealed a lack of immediate plans for technological upgrades:

• 64% of respondents had no current plans to implement AI technologies.
• Two trusts planned to implement AI within the following twelve months.
• Two trusts planned to adopt AI for call prioritization within a three-to-five-year window.

Conversational AI is being used in other health services globally to manage high call volumes by identifying and screening non-urgent contacts to streamline costs and alleviate staff pressure.

Alternative Care Pathways

To combat the influx of non-emergency cases, some services are implementing diversion strategies. The North West Ambulance Service (NWAS) has utilized a Hear and Treat approach to refer callers to alternative services.

Data from November and December (reported in January 2026) showed that nearly 20% of emergency callers were directed to other forms of care without the need for an ambulance to attend. This represents an increase from 16% during the same period in the previous year.

These efforts to divert non-critical patients are intended to ensure that ambulance resources remain available for life-threatening emergencies.

Broader Context of Emergency Care

The issue of inappropriate emergency service utilization is not limited to the UK. A report from February 4, 2026, indicated that nationwide in the United States, over 50% of 911 calls are for non-emergencies.

the need for reform extends into specialized areas of emergency care. Marie Curie has highlighted that ambulance-led end-of-life care requires urgent reform to better serve patients.

As the NHS continues to deal with demand that shows little sign of abating, the focus remains on finding new ways to facilitate faster response times and ensuring that hospital admissions are reserved for those in genuine need of emergency treatment.