FOI 26-186 Purpose of SOE
Freedom of Information Request
- Reference
- FOI 26-186 Purpose of SOE
- Request Date
- 13 Apr 2026
- Response Date
- 16 Apr 2026
- Information Requested
I am writing to request information under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 regarding the “Sequence of Events” (SOE) recorded during emergency calls.
- What is the purpose of the Sequence of Events (SOE) log within call handling and dispatch systems?
- Is the SOE used in any way to inform or support clinical decision-making during an incident?
- Can the recording or use of the SOE influence clinical prioritisation, triage decisions, or resource allocation, either directly or indirectly?
- Has the Scottish Ambulance Service undertaken any assessment or review of whether SOE recording impacts clinical decision-making or patient outcomes?
- Response
The Sequence of Events (SOE) log is an automatic system record within the Scottish Ambulance Service’s call handling and dispatch system. It provides a time‑ordered record of system and manual actions and system changes that occur during the handling of an incident.
The SOE is primarily used for audit, assurance, and review purposes, including the retrospective examination of how an incident was handled or to support investigation of system issues. It records what actions took place and when, but does not provide clinical advice or decision‑making prompts.
The content and structure of the SOE are determined by the call handling and dispatch system, as configured and supplied by the system provider, and may change over time as part of system updates. The Scottish Ambulance Service does not control or curate the SOE content on an incident‑by‑incident basis.
The SOE is not used to make or influence clinical decisions, triage outcomes, or resource allocation, either directly or indirectly. Clinical prioritisation and dispatch decisions are made using established clinical triage processes, protocols, and professional judgement, supported by separate operational and clinical systems. The SOE plays no role in live operations or clinical decision‑making.
The Scottish Ambulance Service does not hold any specific assessment or review examining the impact of SOE recording on clinical decision‑making or patient outcomes. Under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002, we can only provide recorded information held at the time of the request and cannot offer speculation, interpretation, or analysis where this is not held.
