Ambulance response times improve

Ambulance response times for emergency calls have "improved considerably" so far this year, according a director at West Midlands Ambulance Service (WMAS).

The organisation said its average response time for a Category 2 call, such as a stroke, was currently about 25 minutes so far this year. In 2023 it was 36 minutes.

In order to improve performance, the ambulance service said it was planning to recruit 338 paramedics this year.

At a Worcestershire County Council meeting on Tuesday, NHS bosses said delays in ambulance handovers at the county's emergency departments had also reduced.

Since 2017, ambulance responses across England have been split into four categories:

• Category 1: Calls from people with life-threatening illnesses or injuries
• Category 2: Emergency calls, such as strokes
• Category 3: Urgent calls such as late stages of labour and non-severe burns
• Category 4: Calls for conditions such as diarrhoea and vomiting

While the original target for Category 2 calls was set as 18 minutes, in January 2023, NHS England revised that to 30 minutes, following a winter of long waiting times.

"Our performance has improved considerably over the last few months," Vivek Khashu, WMAS's director of strategy and engagement, said.

He told councillors at the county's health, overview and scrutiny committee that the average Category 2 response time had fallen to 18 minutes in August, and was about 25 minutes so far this year.

Mr Khashu credited the improvement to extra resources and closer working with other parts of the NHS.

"We've put in place a considerable increase in staffing numbers. During the course of this year we’re aiming to recruit another 338 paramedics across the region," he said.

Councillors were also told ambulance handover delays at Worcestershire's emergency departments had also fallen by 12% in the first three months of the 2024-25 financial year.

The improvements were welcomed by Malvern Hills district councillor Christine Wild.

"I've been a bit grumpy sometimes on this committee, but I have to say I have begun to notice some differences," she said.

"A recent experience - the ambulance came straight away, went straight through into the hospital, which was brilliant."

A new £35m A&E department at the Worcestershire Royal Hospital opened last autumn.

However, this month patients have been moved out of the department's waiting room because of damaged floors.

The acute trust said its priority was that the emergency department remained open and functioned safely.

Going forward, Mr Khashu said a new ambulance hub was needed for Worcester, to meet the demand of a growing population.

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