Statistical press notice: Ambulance Quality Indicators - monthly update for England.

(From Central Office of Information - News Distribution Service)

Ambulance Systems Indicators for period December 2011 and Ambulance Clinical Outcomes for period September 2011

The following statistics were released today by the Department of Health:

Ambulance System Indicators; Category A 8 minute response time, category A 19 minute response time, call abandonment rate, re-contact rate following discharge of care, time to answer call, time to treatment, ambulance calls closed with telephone advice or managed without transport to A&E, ambulance emergency journeys; for period December 2011.

Ambulance Clinical Outcomes; Outcome from cardiac arrest -- return of spontaneous circulation, outcome from acute ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), outcome from stroke for ambulance patients, outcome from cardiac arrest -- survival to discharge; for period September 2011.

Main Findings -- System Indicators for December 2011

a The proportion of Category A calls resulting in an emergency response arriving within 8 minutes was 74.0% nationally, ranging from 71.3% to 76.7% across different ambulance trusts. Performance on emergency responses within 8 minutes has worsened from 77.1%, in November, to 74.0% in December. However, performance has improved when compared to the same period in the previous year -- in December 2010 performance was 62.6%. Please note, however, that data for December 2010 was collected under a different collection -- the Weekly Situation Reports -- and has been aggregated to make a monthly figure.

a The proportion of Category A calls resulting in an ambulance arriving at the scene within 19 minutes was 96.1%, ranging from 90.9% to 98.9%. Four Trusts; East Midlands Ambulance Service, East of England Ambulance Service, North West Ambulance Service and South Central Ambulance Service failed to achieve the standard for 95% of Category A calls to receive an ambulance vehicle capable of transporting the patient within 19 minutes of the request for transport being made. Performance has worsened compared to last month's 96.8%. The year to date …