31.07.14
Demand pressures affecting ambulance response times
Increasing demands on resources are contributing to pressures on ambulance services struggling to achieve the eight minute required response time.
New figures from the Health and Social Care Information (HSCIC) reveal that, nationally, the percentage of Category A Red 2 (serious but less urgent) incidents that received a response within eight minutes was 74.8%, just short of the 75% standard for this area (a fall from the 75.6% recorded in 2012-13).
Of the 11 ambulance services in England, seven met or exceeded the 75% target. However, East Midlands recorded a 71.4% rate (down from 75.5% the year before); West Midlands achieved 73.6% (a fall from 75.5%); East of England only recorded a response rate of 69.4% (down from 72.8%); and South East Coast was at 73.9% (down from 75.1%).
With regards to hitting the response time on Category A Red 1(the most urgent) incidents, the national average was 75.6%, equating to 0.10 million incidents. Of the 11 Ambulance Services, eight achieved the 75% target. But East Midlands, East of England and South Western all failed to achieve the standard.
HSCIC in its report stated that “the demand for ambulance services is generally increasing with a national 3.9% increase in emergency calls in the last two years. And that any increase in the number of emergency calls places considerable pressure on resources”.
Additionally, the locations of incidents, handover and turnaround time, and staffing all affect ambulance trust response times and their overall ability to meet required national standards “with these factors probably affecting trusts differently throughout the year”.
In the last year ambulance service switchboards received an average of16 emergency 999 calls in 2013-14. The latest figures highlight that the total number of 999 calls to the switchabords in the last year totalled 8.47 million, a decrease of 70,999 (0.8 per cent) over the previous year (8.54 million calls).
In total for 999 and 111 calls 6.33 million received a face to face response from the ambulance service, with 6.02 million (95.1%) originating via 999 calls and 309,262 (4.9%) from the 111 route.
Of all calls that required an emergency vehicle just under half (45.4% or 2.87 million) were classed as Category A (urgent). Of these, 4.7% (135,240) were Red 1 emergencies (the most urgent) and 95.3% (2.74 million) were Red 2 (serious but less urgent).
(Image: c. Ingy the Wingy)
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