SA Ambulance has set up a new service for non-urgent triple-0 calls.

“We see a number of triple-0 calls to our emergency operations centre every day for less serious injuries and illnesses — coughs, colds, toe injuries, peripheral hand injuries and so on,” says SA Ambulance Service (SAAS) chief executive officer Jason Killens.

“On occasion, we continue to send emergency ambulances to those. What we know is that with the increasing skill and knowledge of paramedics — all now with a three-year degree behind them — they're perfectly capable of providing advice over the phone to less seriously ill and injured patients.

“We'll be commencing that service on a 24-hour-a-day basis in 2018.

“We'll be offering advice over the phone to those less seriously ill and injured calls. Where it's not necessary to send an emergency ambulance, we can keep that emergency ambulance available to someone who really does need it.”

SAAS says it is also adding 112 new staff by early next year, including about 60 paramedics and 30 ambulance officers.

It is part of a push to ease the burden on frontline health services, who are currently dealing with a rise in workload of “about 7 per cent”, Mr Killens says.

“This growth in frontline service paramedics and ambulance officers and also the new service providing clinical telephone advice will help us respond to that,” he said.