Welsh Ambulance Service Statement on July 2015’s performance figures
TRACY Myhill, Chief Executive of the Welsh Ambulance Service, said: “The improvement in our response times may be marginal, but it’s encouraging when you consider that we took an extra 900 calls in July compared to June.
“This improvement is no doubt down to the hard work of our staff and the new and innovative projects which are starting to bear fruit, like the handover guidance we agreed with Local Health Boards in February.
“You’ll know by now that from October, for a one-year pilot period, we’ll be moving away from time-based targets to look more at the quality of what we do for you once we arrive.
“Don’t worry – for conditions where time is critical, like a heart attack, we’ll continue to send the nearest available ambulance in the shortest time possible.
“For less serious conditions, we’re going to measure how well we treat you and how often we avert a trip to hospital by referring you to a more appropriate service, like your GP.
“Our focus always has and always will be to deliver excellent clinical care and improve the overall patient experience.
“On the subject of patient experience, last month we had a heartfelt letter from Rosemary Smith, of Llantwit Major, whose husband Michael had a nasty fall outside their bungalow.
“Rosemary wanted to thank us for the ‘outstanding’ service our crew provided at the scene which meant that Michael, who has Parkinson’s disease, could stay at home and avoid a trip to hospital.
“Rosemary’s was one of more than 60 compliments we had in July, and I can’t tell you what a huge injection of morale it gives our workforce when they read these.
“August into September is traditionally a very challenging time for us, so we need the public to continue to use our ambulance service appropriately, especially over this Bank Holiday weekend.
“Some pharmacies may be open for limited periods or closed completely so if you take any prescribed medication it is important you order repeat prescriptions in advance.
“If you are going away, please remember to pack enough medication for the length of your stay.
“There’s a host of alternatives to 999, like the NHS Direct Wales helpline where nurse advisors are on hand 24/7 to give you advice and information.
“Don’t forget to visit the NHS Direct Wales website, when you can take our symptom checker questionnaires for things like sunburn, stings, allergies and much more.
“There also your GP, GP Out of Hours Service, your pharmacy and your nearest Minor Injuries Unit, where there is no need for an appointment.
“Please only dial 999 if you’re seriously ill or injured or your life is at risk – let’s save our emergency ambulances for emergencies.”
Notes
The Trust reached 61.7% of Category A calls within eight minutes in July 2015, compared to June’s 61.4%, May’s 59.4%, April’s 58.7%, March’s 52.9%, February’s51.2%, January’s 48.5% and December’s 42.6%.
Here’s how we fared in:
9 minutes 66.9%
10 minutes 71.7%
11 minutes 75.7%
12 minutes 79.0%
15 minutes 86.0%
20 minutes 93.0%
Of the 36,907 calls received in July, 13,462 were ‘Red’ calls – serious and immediately life-threatening.
Of those, 1,488 were categorised as ‘Red 1’ (e.g. cardiac arrest) and we reached73.2% of those within eight minutes, down by 0.26% compared with that of June and down by 0.52% compared with that of July last year.
There were 11,974 ‘Red 2’ calls (e.g. suspected stroke), and we reached 60.2% of those within eight minutes, up by 0.41% compared with June and up by 3.72%compared with that of July last year.
