Not every 999 patient may end up in hospital

Anyone who calls 999 seeking emergency ambulance care may no longer be automatically taken to hospital if they are genuinely ill as the under-resourced service cannot cope with demand. 

Instead, some could now be sent to their GP, be brought to a local injuries unit — or diagnosed by phone.

A major Health Information Quality Authority report on the life-saving sector made the recommendation after finding a series of scandals in the system.