One in ten Londoners would call 999 if their child’s hand got stuck in a jam jar, a new report has revealed.

The London Assembly report, which was released today, looks at how many people in the capital are using the London Ambulance Service (LAS) and under what circumstances.

The report also found that 50 per cent of 18-24-year olds would call an ambulance when there was not an emergency and almost a quarter of people in the same age group would call an ambulance because they could not get a GP appointment.

Nearly a third of Londoners also said they were not aware of the NHS 111 service, which deals with non-emergency calls.

The chairman of the London Assembly health committee, Onkar Sahota said it was “worrying” that younger people sometimes feel they have no other option but to call an ambulance.

Mr Sahota said: “Paramedics are highly skilled professionals providing a first line of treatment to those most in need of urgent healthcare.

“We need to ensure that all people, of whatever age, know the various ways to get healthcare.

“Sadly, the 999 system can be abused by those with spurious issues but it also has to cover for problems in other parts of the healthcare system.

“We all need to work together to make the best use of our precious ambulance service resources.”

But despite a lack of understanding from Londoners on when to call an ambulance 86 per cent of Londoners said they have confidence in the service. – say ‘the service’ rather than LAS.

Its chief executive Garrett Emmerson said: “The latest poll of Londoners shows we need to remind people, of all ages to use us wisely and only call 999 in a genuine emergency.

“We are delighted that the survey shows that the overwhelming majority of Londoners have confidence in us and think our staff do an excellent job.

“It’s fantastic their dedication and hard work – which we see every day – has received this recognition from the public.”

In 2017 the London Ambulance Service handled more than 1.9 million emergency calls from across London and attended more than 1.2 million incidents.