According to sources, the psychiatric ambulance should provide emergency psychiatric care eight hours a day across Uppsala County. However, it has only one car to cover the entire county and can only go out between 3:00 PM and 11:00 PM. The ambulance misses between 60% and 80% of alarms concerning mental illness due to insufficient resources.
Based on figures from the healthcare alarm center, the hospital's own calculations show it misses 60% of potential assignments classified as 'mental complaints' and 80% of those classified as 'violence/threat/suicide threat'. Since starting in autumn 2023, the ambulance has responded to 1,750 alarms. " Attendant Georg Elafris noted, "The longest response can be an hour away.
We want to expand the response times, but there is a lack of money.
" There is a plan to expand the times when the ambulance can respond, but the implementation timeline is unclear. " The exact funding needed for expansion remains unknown.
We relieve the police, somatic ambulance, and psychiatric emergency room.
The longest response can be an hour away. Then you have to hope that no one needs us in the city.
We lack money at the moment, simply.