Radical shake-up of how ambulances respond to 999 calls in Wales

By The Press Association29th July 2015News WalesAccident and Emergency, Hospitals, News Wales, NHS

A radical shake-up of the way ambulances respond to 999 calls in Wales has been announced.

Under the new scheme, only life-threatening incidents will be subjected to an eight-minute response target.

Other calls – classed as amber or green – will not be subjected to a deadline. Officials say performance would be measured on “clinical outcomes” – the results of the treatment delivered.

The change comes against a backdrop of the Welsh Ambulance Service repeatedly missing targets for response times.

Opposition parties have accused the Welsh Government of “moving the goalposts”.

However, NHS officials insist the new system was thought up by them and not politicians.

Among the mooted benefits, they say, are a reduction in rapid response vehicles (RRV) being sent out unnecessarily – making them more available for serious incidents.

Wales’ deputy health minister Vaughan Gething argued the changes would be better for patients across the board – adding that the current 41-year-old system was outdated.

He said: “The demands placed on our emergency ambulance service are more complex than ever before and are growing year-on-year. If we are to meet these demands, we need to transform the way in which we deliver emergency ambulance services.

“It is a move away from the eight-minute response time target, which was introduced 41 years ago, to one which measures how successful our ambulance clinicians are in ensuring they have the most positive impact on clinical outcomes and people’s quality of life.”

The Welsh Ambulance Service will pilot the new clinical response model for 12 months from October 1.

Officials say it will “prioritise patient care” and end the current practice of “sending multiple ambulances to a 999 call just to chase an eight-minute target time”.

“As part of the new system, those people with an immediate life-threatening condition will continue to receive an immediate response from the Welsh Ambulance Service,” a Welsh Government spokesman added.

“All other patients will receive a bespoke clinical response, based on their health needs, rather than a generic response based on a 41-year-old time target.”

The new model will also give 999 call handlers extra time to prioritise calls not instantly identified as immediately life-threatening before an ambulance is dispatched – similar to England’s “dispatch on disposition” pilot.

They will also have up to 120 seconds extra to ask questions about a patient’s symptoms and identify the type of response needed.

At present, around 500 calls a day are categorised under the most serious “red” category.

However, it is anticipated the new system will mean that only around 150 calls will be come in the top band. These will be still subject to an eight-minute target.

Welsh Ambulance Services NHS Trust chief executive Tracy Myhill welcomed the new system.

She said: “Having a fast ambulance arrive at a patient’s door does not necessarily translate to a better outcome. However, having the right type of vehicle arrive at a patient’s door and timely transport to a treatment centre does.”

However, opposition parties were less than optimistic.

Plaid Cymru AM Simon Thomas described the Labour administration’s pilot as a “dangerous experiment”.

He said: “The Labour Government is moving the goalposts instead of dealing with the issue of poor ambulance response times.

“Just as it did by changing the way cancer treatment waiting times are measured, the Labour government is seeking to move the goalposts by developing new targets which make it more difficult to compare with other nations.”

Welsh Liberal Democrat leader Kirsty Williams said the new system was “politically convenient for the Welsh Labour Government”.

She said: “If the Health Minister is changing the target with a view to improve clinical outcomes, rather than avoiding bad headlines for the Welsh government, the Welsh Liberal Democrats will, of course, be supportive. The Welsh Liberal Democrats want what is best for the patient, not just a relentless focus on statistics.”

Conservative AM Darren Millar added: “These changes will only be effective if they lead to improved ambulance response times.”