Title

Hlth1304: Ambulance Services - Emergency calls by LHB

Author

HSA, Welsh Government

Notes

Last update: 4 January 2012
Was added to StatsWales: 4 January 2012
Next Update: No longer updated.
Will be added to StatsWales: 1 February 2012

1. The Welsh Ambulance Service NHS Trust has responsibility for ambulance services across the whole of Wales.

2. The Annual Quality Framework 2011/12 superseded the Annual Operating Framework (AOF) 2010/2011. For ambulance performance, the targets are un-changed.
To achieve:
- a monthly all-Wales average performance of 65% of first responses to Category A calls (immediately life-threatening calls) arriving within 8 minutes;
- a monthly minimum performance of 60% of first responses to Category A calls (immediately life- threatening calls) arriving within 8 minutes in each new Local Health Board area;
- a monthly all-Wales average performance of 70% of first responses to Category A calls (immediately life-threatening calls) arriving within 9 minutes; and
- a monthly all-Wales average performance of 75% of first responses to Category A calls (immediately life-threatening calls) arriving within 10 minutes.

There are additional standards for response times for Category A calls (where the first response is not a fully equipped ambulance), Category B calls and urgent journeys:
· In those cases where the first response to a Category A call is not a fully equipped ambulance, to follow up with such an ambulance to a level of 95% within 14, 18 or 21 minutes respectively in urban, rural or sparsely populated areas;
· To respond to all other emergency calls (Category B) to a level of 95% within 14, 18 or 21 minutes respectively in urban, rural or sparsely populated areas;
· For 95% of responses to doctors' urgent calls to arrive no later than 15 minutes after the requested arrival time.

3. Priority of Journey:
Emergency: An emergency journey is generally one made in response to a 999 call.
Category A (immediately life threatening): For these calls, an emergency response will be a fully equipped ambulance, a rapid response vehicle crewed by a paramedic equipped to provide treatment at the scene, or an approved first responder despatched by and accountable to the ambulance service. In those cases where the first response is not a fully equipped ambulance, such an ambulance will also be sent.
Category B (all other): For these calls, a fully equipped ambulance will be deployed.
Urgent: This is used when an ambulance/transportation is ordered for patients by clinicians (doctors, dentists or midwives) on an urgent basis and a definite time limit is imposed, including: (a) maternity admissions not given emergency priority; or (b) admissions to a hospital bed (including day care admissions and inter-hospital transfers) for which the doctor has given a specified time e.g. within one hour. An urgent journey makes similar demands on the ambulance service to those made by an emergency journey, in that a vehicle and crew must be deployed quickly, although not necessarily immediately, to collect a patient perhaps seriously ill, on the advice of a doctor for admission to hospital.

NHS re-organisation: The reorganisation of NHS Wales, which came into effect on 1st October 2009, has created single local health organisations. These are responsible for delivering all healthcare services within a geographical area and replace the Trust and Local Health Board system that existed previously. For more information visit the NHS reform website: http://www.wales.nhs.uk/sites3/home.cfm?orgid=811

Keywords

Ambulance

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Name

Hlth1304