Welsh Ambulance Service Achieve Best Response Time Figures Since Launch of Pilot Scheme

The Welsh Ambulance Service have recorded their best response times since the launch of a pilot scheme last year – with half of emergency calls in September receiving a response in just over four and a half minutes.

Figures released by the Welsh Government show that 79.5% of immediately life-threatening calls during September were attended within the eight minute target.

This is above the target of 65% and up ever so slightly on the 78.1% in August 2016.

Across Wales the 65% response time target was reached in all seven Welsh health boards for the fourth time during the trial.

In October 2015 a piloted clinical trial was launched across Wales, with ambulance response time targets for all 999 calls scrapped. Instead it was announced that calls to the service would be categorised into a traffic light system – with ‘red’ calls classed as immediately life-threatening.

Response time targets of attending 65% of category red calls within eight minutes are now in place as part of the trial.

Health Secretary Vaughan Gething said: “These are extremely positive figures. The new clinical response model is prioritising the most urgent calls and ensuring a rapid response where it’s needed.

“The Scottish Ambulance Service recently announced they would pilot a response system very similar to the Welsh model because they can see that this approach improves the quality of patient care. We have also had international interest in our approach.

“Ambulance service staff have worked extremely hard to deliver a service that ensures that every person who calls receives an appropriate response and I want to thank them for their hard work.”

In north Wales Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board remained one of the top performers with response times, attending 79.2% of category red calls within eight minutes.

Throughout September the health board received a total of 9,707 calls. 338 of this were classed as red, 5,971 were amber and 3,398 were green.

Richard Lee, the Welsh Ambulance Service’s Director of Operations said: “This month’s performance for our RED – immediately life threatening calls is the best we have achieved since our new model launched last October.

“More importantly we have for the fourth month achieved this important target in every area of Wales.

“We are preparing for winter and looking at how we can provide a better response to patients with less serious injuries and illnesses.

“To this end we have established a team of nurses and paramedics in North Wales to replicate our successful clinical contact centre secondary triage team.

“These staff are able to provide advanced assessment of callers to 999 to ensure we send the right resource.”

He added: “We will continue to work hard to improve the service we provide to patients across Wales, but I am really proud of the work of my staff both on ambulances and in the clinical contact centres day in day out responding to the needs of patients.”

The latest ambulance quality indicator information shows the average response time to amber patients, those with serious, but not immediately life threatening injuries or conditions was just 13 minutes and 23 seconds.