Summary of variation between services and Ambulance Quality Indicator rates for telephone advice (TA) and recontact (RC)*
| Service A | Service B | Service C |
| TA=medium (high) | TA=low (low) | TA=high (medium) |
| RC=medium (low) | RC=high (high) | RC=low (low) |
| Perceived as demand management tool. | Perceived as risk management tool—risk aversion. | Perceived as demand management tool. |
| Varied skill-mix. | Limited skill-mix. | Varied skill-mix. |
| Lower morale. | Lower morale. | Higher morale. |
| Limited skill development. | Limited skill development. | More staff in role as career choice. |
| Engaged in other tasks. | Engaged in other tasks. | Focused on telephone advice. |
| Can downgrade some calls. | Cannot downgrade calls. | Can downgrade some calls. |
| Higher workload. | Lower workload. | Higher workload. |
| More response options. | Fewer response options. | More response options. |
| Different triage software. | Different triage software. | Different triage software. |
*Rate when service was selected (rate at data collection).