South Western Ambulance | West Country

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Barbara Spiller's mother Joan fell in Exmouth high street but was forced to lie on the pavement in extreme pain, until paramedics arrived.

Credit: PA

The South Western Ambulance Trust are urging people only to call 999 in an emergency in the run up to Christmas.

There have been 23 convictions so far this year of frequent callers who have abused the emergency telephone system.

There are a recorded 2,000 active frequent callers across the South West, most of whom have mental health, substance or social care issues.

The Trust says they can get in the way of them helping patients in urgent and life threatening conditions.

South Western Ambulance Service says it has "resolved" an issue with its telephone system caused by a "major electrical failure".

The incident happened yesterday evening and SWAS says it is still working to restore other systems and work out what caused the failure.

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Members of the GMB union have issued an open letter calling for the Chief Executive, Ken Wenman, to resign over pressures on the service.

Susie Baldie who is 46 was forced to lie in the street still strapped into her chair.

There has been a worrying rise in attacks towards emergency service workers whilst on duty across the South West.

Paramedics from South Western Ambulance Service have taken to two wheels to get to accidents on motorways and major roads more quickly.

The ambulance service is offering a glimpse into the world of those at the end of the 999 call by tweeting from their Exeter control room.

The Coastguard, RNLI lifeboat and ambulance service worked together to rescue a person who had fallen 15ft into a narrow cave on Saturday.

NHS 111, the non-emergency phone line in Dorset, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly still requires improvement according to a health watchdog.