Mental HealthAmbulance Service Makes Progress Against Tougher Response Time Targets
Ambulance Trusts across the country have significantly reduced the time taken to reach patients, according to data published today by the NHS Information Centre. 74.3% of the most urgent calls (Category A) were responded to in less than 8 minutes from a call being received.
While this is below the target for 75% of Category A calls to be responded to within 8 minutes, changes in the way response times are measured mean that ambulances are actually reaching patients faster than ever before. Last year, "Call Connect" was introduced, meaning that the clock starts from the moment a call is connected to the control room, previously it would not have started until details had been taken from the caller. This means that on average, ambulances must reach patients 90 seconds faster than under the old system.
This has been a challenging target for Ambulance Trusts, but one that is important in improving the care provided to patients, as faster response times can save lives. Research shows that reaching a cardiac arrest patient 90 seconds faster increases their chance of survival by over 10%.
Last year was a particularly challenging year for ambulance services, with 7.48 million 999 calls received - the highest number to date - and one of the worst winters on record. While response times are operational standards that the ambulance service should be meeting, the progress they have made in meeting these challenges is significant, and data for the first three months of this year shows that targets are now being met with 76.5% of Category A calls being responded to in under 8 minutes.
Health Minister Mike O"Brien said:
"Ambulance Trusts have not met response time targets for the most urgent calls because we have toughened the targets. These changes removed a "hidden wait" for patients and calls must now be answered faster than ever before. I recognise this will disappoint trusts who have made huge improvements across the service to try and achieve the new targets. If they had not had the tougher targets this would have been their best result ever."
"These targets are tougher but we make no apologies for that. Reaching patients quickly in an emergency saves lives, that"s why it is right that we continue to challenge the service to respond to calls as fast as possible. I am pleased that early indications show that ambulance trusts have been meeting this target in the first months of this year and I hope they can deliver a high quality of service in the future.
"Last year was the toughest ever for the Ambulance Service as it responded to a record number of calls and faced the added pressure of one of the worst winters on record."
Call Connect was first announced in 2006 and Ambulance Trusts have received over ÷£100 million of additional investment over the last two years to support its introduction. This has seen an increase in numbers of additional frontline staff as well as new vehicles, equipment and technology. As well as improving response times, ambulance services have been praised for the improvements in patient care they have delivered in this time. A recent Care Quality Commission patient survey found that 98% of people making less urgent calls (Category C) rated their overall care as good or excellent, while the latest Healthcare Commission survey found 97% of all ambulance service patients were satisfied with the care they received - one of the highest ratings received by any NHS service.
Department of Health, Uk