When an ambulance crew take a critically ill patient to hospital on blue lights, we ring the hospital to warn them. This is called (imaginatively) a ‘blue call’. All the blue call numbers are programmed into our phone system so we only have to dial a couple of digits to get them. The hospital in Romford, however, has just moved so we have to dial the full number to put the blue call in.
T601 were bringing in a man in cardiac arrest, so I dialled the number.
Them: “Hello, can I help you?”
Me: “This is London Ambulance with a priority call.”
Them: “Yes?”
Me: T601 are bringing in a 60 year old male, suspended…
Them: Uh… sorry… I think you have wrong number. This is Chinese Takeaway!”
I was a laughing stock for the rest of the shift. My sector controller insisted on telling everyone who she spoke to, including all the ambulance crews, “watch out for our radio operator today… he tried to blue a patient into the local Chinese!” Everyone thought it was hilarious. My face has never been so red!