Critical Stockholm ambulance calls assigned too low a priority

Critical ambulance calls in Stockholm were given too low a priority while other ambulances were sent as highest-priority cases to people with milder problems, according to a review of incident reports.

P4 Stockholm reports that a suspected stroke patient, a teenager who hit a rock while diving and a woman in labour were classified as priority two. By the time an ambulance reached the woman, her baby had been born blue and limp.

Priority one is used when a condition is considered life-threatening and immediate help is needed. Lower-priority patients can remain in a digital waiting room, where nurses call back and may raise the urgency.

SOS Alarm chief medical officer Fredrik Jonsson confirmed to P4 Stockholm that some calls are assigned the wrong priority. In a separate report, the company rejected ambulance staff's wider claim that competence shortages were driving errors and said some over-prioritisation was necessary to avoid missing life-threatening cases.

Region Stockholm has already decided to take over ambulance dispatch from 2028, while SOS Alarm will initially continue assessing the urgency of incoming 112 calls. The region says the change is intended to get the right help to patients faster.

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