Life-saving new ambulance app

what3words divides the world into 57 trillion unique squares

A pioneering new app is helping the South Western Ambulance Service find patients, and save lives.

The what3words app divides the world into 57 trillion squares, each measuring 3 metres by 3 metres, and having a unique three-word address.

For example, the entrance to Exeter Cathedral can be found at 'cloth.kings.title'.

The service adopted the mapping system in its Control Room earlier this year, and Hundreds of 999 callers are using the free app to pinpoint their exact location.

David Fletcher, Head of SWASFT Clinical Hubs, said: “What3words is helping us to find patients more easily and quickly than ever before.

“Our callers are using it on a daily basis to tell our Control Room staff exactly where they are, so our frontline crews can pinpoint the location of patients in need of emergency care.

“We cover 10,000 square miles, including many rural and remote areas, and we can spend vital time trying to find patients. This system means we can narrow down that search within seconds to a three-square metre area. By having a three-word address we are saving time, resources and lives.”

The service is encouraging people to download the app, so they can use it in an emergency.

It uses GPS signal to identify the user’s current location and provide their three-word address. It means that once the user has the app on their phone, they don’t even need a data signal to obtain their location. 

The app has been used in various cases recently including when police used the app to tell SWASFT the location of woman who had gone missing. She was treated at the scene in South Devon and taken by ambulance to hospital for further care.