Ambulance rescue is a postcode lottery

"The GPS-dependent system often proves useless in open countryside when the GPS signal is lost..."

When did satillites stop working in the countryside?
 

This is not just a problem for the ambulance service. I had an accident on a remote campsite in Cornwall a couple of years ago.  When my partner tried to get some advice from NHS Direct by phone, they almost wouldn't process the call because he couldn't provide a postcode.

I work as a volunteer first responder for our local ambulance service, and have to say that being called to a rural area to find a casualty can and is a real challenge. Sometimes it can take longer than acceptable to find the casualty and I understand frustrations people feel for not having the specialists there quicker. My only advice would be to ensure you pass your grid reference and also prominent landmarks. If the air ambulance is on route I understand they do use grid reference systems and will fly as fast as possible. Another suggestion would be to call the local police force for the area, the systems can work on grid references and they can update any medical services with the exact location very quickly.
From what I understand the staff taking the 999 / 112 call are trained to an exceptionally high standard and can give valuable advice over the phone, but when I worked as an emergency call handler I wasn't taught how to read or understand a six figure grid reference and how to transpose those details onto the computer booking system for the incident, I had to learn "on the job" from the experience of those around me, not always the best method but tried and tested.
I do feel additional training should be given to the emergency call takers to best offer advice on how to understand a grid reference call and how that information should be inputted to a "command and control system". Maybe as a whole we as the public could use public opinion to ask for that training to be given to emergency call takers to better support the public when needed.