The 999 Emergency Call Handler | Paramedics On Scene | BBC Scotland

Call handlers like Sarah take emergency 999 calls from all over Scotland at the Ambulance Control Centre in South Queensferry.
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[@Mezame9]

I am highly confused. In every First Aid course I have attended I have always been trained to apply back strikes and chest thrusts if coughing does not dislodge the obstruction. Even First Aid videos found online today advise the same thing.
So why on earth is this 999 dispatcher advising against First Aid? Please be consistent NHS, is it advisable or not advisable to deliver back strikes to a chocking victim? Especially when the obstruction is still present.

[@callum6835]

The dispatcher will ask "Is s/he breathing, coughing or crying at all", if the answer is yes then it's assumed some air is able to bypass the blockage to some extent, meaning some form of breathing can be sustained. If this patient receives back blows and chest thrusts it is possible the object could become dislodged further and cause a complete blockage rather than partial.
On the other hand, if the caller answers "no" when asked if the patient "is breathing, coughing or crying at all?" then a full blockage is assumed and Heimlich instructions are advised. Hope that helps

[@callum6835]

Replace *"Crying" for an infant/child, with "talking" for an adult *... I think is the correct wording dispatchers will ask

[@lucylou9030]

When I was 4 I got a sherbet lemon stuck in the back of my throat. My brother looked at me and shouted my dad and told him I'd turned blue. My dad ran outside with me, turned me upside down and hit my back , the sweet flew out. If he hadn't of done that i would of chocked to death. Just saying.

[@ArcticWolf-bg4mx]

All calls are priority one when i worked there

[@admiralsturgeon]

So what are we supposed to do then if we can't slap them on the back?

[@rachaeltaylor5387]

I thought exactly the same . I'm a dental nurse abd every CPR course has said the same? Confused

[@Autisticbanmeforbeingdifferent]

Ever heard of Heimlich maneuver?

[@ArcticWolf-bg4mx]

I worked there for two summers

[@user-lc7eu9ny8d]

Wont do you need for ambulances call handing ok

[@Michael-vf3ih]

Innocent not the only one
Do the crime do the time & don't cry like the police courts of law guards judges cps ect, squeal piggy squeal