As a call-taker I find it incredibly frustrating that even though I know a caller is blatantly taking the piss and his/her bad cold is in no way life threatening, I still end up triaging it as Cat A because we're not allowed to use our common sense, lest the powers that be discipline us for not following protocol. Rather than expecting the public to use their brains and only call in emergencies (which they will never do, it's much too convenient to just pick up the phone and let us do the work for them), the entire triage system needs to be overhauled; this would then prevent crews being sent on calls that could better be dealt with by a GP. Either that or we start charging the time-wasters and the office party drunks.