ACTION is being demanded to improve ambulance response rates.
Newly-released statistics show little more than half of urgent ambulance calls in Flintshire arrive within the target time of eight minutes. Just 52.7 per cent of immediately life-threatening (category A) calls during December saw ambulances arrive within the guideline, falling significantly below the Welsh Government’s target figure and that achieved in neighbouring authorities.
North Wales Lib Dem AM Aled Roberts is calling on the Welsh Government to tackle the issue.
“Month after month statistics show our ambulance service is not meeting its target,” he said. “The Welsh Labour Government’s target is for 65 per cent of category A calls to receive an ambulance response time within eight minutes.”
In Flintshire there were 747 category A callouts in December, with only 387 arriving within eight minutes. In Wrexham there were 612 category A callouts with 437 (72 per cent) seeing an ambulance arriving in the target time. The target rate was passed in Denbighshire (66.8 per cent) and Conwy (70.5 per cent).
“Welsh Government ministers need to find out why Wrexham and Conwy have much better figures and urgently apply any ideas that will improve Flintshire’s service,” added Mr Roberts.