WHEN we dial 999 we have confidence that within seconds we will hear an operator enquire “Emergency – which service?”

We then believe that the required emergency service will soon be on its way to assist with the situation.

An emergency situation requires immediate response and we are reassured that we shall receive a swift response by the target response times our emergency services aspire to achieve.

I do not seek to undermine public confidence in one of our emergency services. I have repeatedly acknowledged the skill and professionalism of our ambulance crews, paramedics and A&E staff.

However, the continuing failure of our ambulance services to consistently achieve their response rate target is a matter of concern.

Sixty-five per cent of Category A emergency (life-threatening) calls made in Wales, are expected to be responded to within eight minutes; in England 75 per cent of these calls are expected to be responded to within eight minutes.

The requirement for immediate treatment of life-threatening conditions or injuries is acknowledged by reference to a ‘golden hour’, in which survival and recovery outcomes are influenced by access to a senior consultant.

It is vital that ambulance services are able to respond to, assess and begin to treat, and then transfer, the patient to ongoing care as quickly as possible.

In the 33 months since the beginning of 2010, the ambulance services in Newport have achieved the 65 per cent of emergency call response within eight minutes for 28 months; in Torfaen the target has been achieved for ten months and Monmouthshire for nine months.

Larger rural counties such as Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion, Pembrokeshire and Powys have better emergency response rates than counties in South Wales East.

For more than half of 2012/13 the budget for the Wales Ambulance Service had not been finalised.

The impact of not knowing how much money was available adversely impacted the service, particularly with regard to staff overtime. Many reports have arisen concerning limited ambulance provision or low staff levels at certain times.

I do receive comments from constituents that they have heard the ambulance siren almost immediately after making a 999 call.

Sadly, though, more often than not, the comment concerns patients waiting beyond eight minutes for a response.

Consistently low ambulance response times in South Wales East require a review of the management system and service provision.

People in this region should see the benefits of such a review sooner rather than later.