Ambulance wait times improving despite delays
New data compares trusts’ performance
Despite patients reporting long waits for ambulances in recent weeks latest figures reveal South East Coast Ambulance NHS Trust (SECAmb) has actually been improving its service.
The NHS published “quality indicator data” last week showing the performances of the country’s 11 ambulance services during May.
As the KM reported last week, a 78-year-old woman with a suspected broken leg had to wait almost 14 hours, while our sister paper the Medway Messenger reported how a dad feared he would die after waiting 10 hours for medical attention. The statistics record the average response time by each ambulance service to various categories of call outs.
To category 1 calls – the most urgent requiring immediate medical attention – SECAmb’s average response time was 8mins 29secs, improved from the 9mins 34secs it recorded in March.
That ranked the trust fourth out of the 11 ambulance services nationally. The best performing was London Ambulance at 7mins and the worst performing was South Western at 10mins 44secs.
A sub-group is category 1T, which is how long it takes to get a vehicle to transport a patient if one is necessary. SECAmb came sixth at 10mins 15secs, with the North East Ambulance Service best at 8mins 21secs and East Midlands worst at 16mins 30secs.
Category 2 cases are serious cases which may require rapid assessment and urgent transport. Here, SECAmb achieved a 28mins 41secs average, down from a 39-minute wait in March.
That placed the service third in the rankings, with the Isle of
Wight best at 22mins 19secs and South Western worst at 56mins 15secs.
Category 3 cases are an urgent problem, such as an uncomplicated diabetic issue, which require treatment and transport to an acute healthcare facility such as a hospital.
SECAmb averaged a response time of 2hrs 4mins and 1sec, placing it fifth in the rankings.
Again the Isle of Wight was best at 1hr and 46secs, with West Midlands worst at 2hr 38mins 7secs.
Category 4 calls are non-urgent problems, such as stable clinical cases, but which require transportation to a hospital ward or clinic.
SECAmb averaged 2hrs 53min and 4secs, placing it eighth in the rankings. Again the Isle of Wight was best at 1hr 19mins
and 59secs, while the North West was worst at 3hrs 25mins 31secs.
In total SECAmb made 57,969 trips during May – an average of 1,869 a day.
A spokesman said: “All ambulance services continue to face pressure and are not achieving the performance expected.
“It is clear that there remains a lot to do to improve our response times.
“It is however worth noting that, for May, SECAmb was ahead of the national average in the highest three categories of call, with one of the shortest response times for Category 2 calls where approximately 60% of all 999 calls fall.
“As we continue to face periods of high demand, we would like to thank our staff and volunteers for their hard work and commitment.”