Half of life-threatening ambulance calls arrive in target time

According to the latest NHS Wales performance data, 48 per cent of immediately life-threatening – or ‘red’ – calls saw an ambulance arrive within the eight-minute target time in October.

An average of 147 red calls were made each day in October, accounting for 12.1 per cent of calls to the ambulance service.

The percentage of life-threatening calls where an ambulance arrives within the target time. (Image: Welsh Ambulance Service NHS Trust)

Darren Hughes, director of the Welsh NHS Confederation, said issues with patient flow at hospitals meant ambulances were tied up waiting to hand over patients, while the Welsh Government said it was working to improve ambulance performance.

Across the month, more than 91,000 people attended NHS Wales emergency departments – an average of just under 3,000 per day.

NHS Wales targets state that 95 per cent of patients should spend less than four hours in A&E, while no patients should spend more than 12 hours waiting.

The percentage of patients who spent less than four hours in A&E. (Image: DHCW)

In October, two thirds (66.6 per cent) of patients spent less than four hours in A&E, while a total of 11,030 patients waited more than 12 hours.

Waiting lists in Wales have risen again, with almost 755,000 cases – known as patient pathways – waiting to start treatment in September.

This is the highest number on record, up from 750,000 in August.

Individual patients can have multiple pathways open at once, and although no data was provided for the number of patients awaiting treatment, it is estimated to be around 590,000.

NHS Wales aims to have no patients waiting longer than two years in most specialities by March 2023, and no patients waiting longer than one year in most specialities by Spring 2025.

NHS Wales waiting lists have risen again to their highest level. (Image: DHCW)

More than 181,000 patient pathways were waiting for more than one year in September, while 57,000 had been waiting more than two years – although this had decreased for the sixth month in a row.

A Welsh Government spokesperson said: “Our NHS continues to face unprecedented demand and is seeing thousands of people every day.

“In hospitals alone, more than 361,000 consultations were carried out in September. Over 99,000 patient pathways were closed in September, back to pre-pandemic levels.

“Progress continues to be made on the longest waits. The number of patient pathways waiting more than two years for treatment has fallen for the sixth month in a row and is down by 19 per cent since the peak in March.

“Primary care, ambulance and emergency department staff remain under intense pressure. As an example, October saw the highest number and proportion of ‘red’ calls on record.

“Whilst we acknowledge ambulance performance is not where we expect it to be, we are driving improvements, including extending same-day emergency care services to open seven-days a week, managing calls better to reduce hospital admissions and recruiting more staff.

“Without all this, the pressure on the system would be even greater.”

“Despite continuing to operate under huge pressure, the NHS in Wales has made progress in several areas in meeting demand for care,” said Mr Hughes. “On average across the service, activity is at pre-pandemic levels.  

“We know there's a huge amount going on to try and improve patient flow through the health and care system, to in turn reduce ambulance handover delays, emergency department waits and increase capacity for scheduled care. 

“However, NHS leaders know there’s a long way to go before performance is at the levels that we all want to see.

“There’s no doubt that staff working on the ground are doing all they can to treat patients as quickly and safely as possible, and NHS leaders understand the frustration of staff who feel their efforts can't go far enough.”