One interesting point is that people die on a daily basis. If solo responders are going to leave patients at home there will inevitably be deaths that would occur that are not related to the actual initial reason for calling. So, whoever responds probably goes way overboard and checks as much history, vitals etc as possible to 'cover themselves'. The result: an ambulance or car that is tied up for a period of time which actually exceeds the time taken to drop the back step and say 'get in?','name?','DOB?','go and book yourself in at the reception desk','cup of tea mate?','you'd never believe what X did the other day....','that time already, throw the clear in' From a time perspective it is often quicker to fill the waiting rooms with crap. From a responsibility perspective it is often safer to fill the waiting rooms with crap. From a patients perspective it's time to change.