The ambulance service is targeting ''repeat callers'' after fewer than 500 people managed to call more than 10,000 ambulances in one year, at a cost of $8.4 million.

NSW Ambulance has slashed the number of calls from the regular callers in a pilot program that targeted the 18 people responsible for the most calls. They each called an average of three ambulances every fortnight, costing $1.3 million in a year.

Helping hand: Intensive care paramedic Hamuera Kohu, who is the station officer at Eveleigh, says dealing with repeat callers can be frustrating but is all part of the job. Credit:Tamara Dean

People with 10 or more calls within a three-year period represent about 3 per cent of all patients but 25 per cent of the ambulance workload, analysis of statistics has found.

NSW Ambulance manager of mental health Kevin McLaughlin said many had complex medical problems combined with high levels of anxiety. "They have a variety of illnesses that may not be particularly well-managed, so they reach crisis point much more quickly than most people would," he said. "They are not health literate and are feeling unwell and don't know how to get help without calling triple zero."