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1240/5(6809)
WRITTEN QUESTION TO THE MINISTER FOR HEALTH AND SOCIAL SERVICES BY THE CONNÉTABLE OF ST. JOHN
ANSWER TO BE TABLED ON TUESDAY 17th APRIL 2012
Question
Can the Minister provide the response times for every front line ambulance attending a 999 call or accident in the last 60 months in ten minute bands and, in instances where the response time exceeded 30 minutes, advise how long it took and the reasons for the delay.
Given that action taken in the first hour after an accident can be crucial, does the Minister consider that any delays are putting patients at risk and, if so, what action, if any, will she be taking to address this issue?
If the issue is one of budgetary constraints, would the Minister consider requesting increased funding for her Department in the interest of the welfare of all Island residents?
Answer
The provision of information in 10 minute bands would require extensive analysis and input of resources. The data provided below therefore shows a breakdown of 999 calls responded to within 30 minutes as requested.
All 999 calls are immediately prioritised. Those which relate to a life threatening situation – based on the information received – will receive priority attention. These are classed a Category A calls. Non-category A calls are non-life threatening and may include accidents/conditions such as minor fractures.
Where an ambulance crew is not immediately available due to high volume of incidents, calls are "stacked" in order of priority until a crew is available. This "stacking" procedure is common across UK Ambulance Trusts.
| No. of 999 calls received | Number of Cat A calls that exceeded 30 minutes | Number of Cat A exceeding 30 minute target as a % of total calls | All calls where response time exceeded 30 mins (inc Cat A and non-Cat A) | % of total calls |
2007 | 6592 | 2 | 0.03 | 50 | 0.75 |
2008 | 6391 | 1 | 0.02 | 42 | 0.65 |
2009 | 6597 | 2 | 0.03 | 48 | 0.72 |
2010 | 6341 | 2 | 0.03 | 50 | 0.78 |
2011 | 6550 | 4 | 0.06 | 58 | 0.88 |
Incidents that take over 30 minutes to reach are rare, less than 1% of all calls and less than 0.1% of Cat A calls. In approximately 50% of the cases where the 30 minute target is exceeded this is due to an unpredictable peak in demand. Other reasons include diversion of crews to priority calls or properties being difficult to locate sometimes because the caller has been unable to provide accurate information.