Non-emergency ambulance cases to have longer wait times of up to 20 mins: SCDF

From Jul. 31, 2024, patients who call for a non-emergency ambulance via the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) can expect a slightly longer wait time of up to 20 minutes.

SCDF announced the change in its Jul. 4 workplan seminar.

The longer wait time will apply to cases who are assessed to be of "lower acuity" during the triage call, and will allow SCDF to better prioritise its resources and attend to more urgent, life-threatening cases, it said.

Examples of lower acuity cases include minor or superficial burns or low blood sugar if the patient is still alert.

In response to Mothership's queries, SCDF revealed that it currently receives about 12 lower acuity calls a day — a number that is expected to increase in the coming years.

"The slightly longer response time we will take for such calls will give SCDF more operational flexibility to prioritise our EMS resources and ambulances for emergencies that require more immediate medical attention, like cardiac arrests and respiratory emergencies," it said.

At the same time, SCDF will implement safeguards to ensure that safety is not compromised.

For example, if a patient makes a second call informing the triage team that his or her condition has deteriorated, SCDF will re-triage the case and send an emergency ambulance to attend to the patient immediately.

"Even as we do this [change], please be rest assured that patient safety will remain our top priority," SCDF said.

It added that SCDF is exploring video-assisted and artificial intelligence-assisted triaging to potentially "sharpen triaging for all medical calls".

It is also working with agencies to develop alternative care service pathways — such as urgent care centres — which members of the public can engage instead of visiting hospital emergency departments.

Top image via SCDF/Youtube