Non-urgent events are dominating the number of 111 calls for ambulances, as paramedics struggle to keep up with demand

National ambulance data shows there's been a 30 percent increase in ambulance calls over the past five years.

St John fielded more than 700-thousand calls for the first time last year, and attended over half a million incidents.

Ambulance Association National Secretary Mark Quinn says the majority of them come from people who couldn't access other healthcare.

He says a lot of calls could be addressed by a visit to a GP.