In January, ambulance crews in England responded to emergency calls an average of 32 minutes quicker than they did in December. This is the best performance in the past 19 months, bringing the average response time closer to the target of 18 minutes.
The improvement has been attributed to a decline in hospital admissions for influenza and Covid at the beginning of the year. However, Dr. Tim Cooksley of the Society for Acute Medicine has cautioned that this situation remains “intolerable” as many of the sickest and most fragile patients wait for ward beds for hours.
Prof. Sir Stephen Powis, national medical director of NHS England, commended staff for working “flat out” during the winter season, but cautioned that ongoing strike action will likely hinder progress towards the 18-minute target. Additionally, the number of patients waiting over 18 months for treatment has increased by 12%.
As a result of this week’s strike action by ambulance staff and nurses, over 40,000 patient appointments have been rescheduled. Since December, 100,000 patients have been affected by strike action.
While there has been a significant improvement in ambulance response times and A&E wait times, there are still significant problems with social care capacity and labour shortage. The National Health Service faces an uphill battle to ensure that all patients receive timely care.
