Have NHS ambulance response times improved? Lib Dems raise concern

The NHS’s latest report on ambulance services in England for March 2024 reveals significant progress in response times for emergency calls across all
categories compared to recent months.

The Ambulance Quality Indicators (AQI) Statistical Note, released in April, underscores both improvements and persistent challenges within the sector.

Recent figures obtained from the Liberal Democratic party suggest ongoing struggles with response times, particularly for category two patients, which may
include individuals experiencing strokes or heart attacks requiring a response within 18 minutes.

Similarly, in November last year, ambulance waits for category 2 calls surged to their highest level since December 2022, reaching 93 minutes, after dropping
to 32 minutes in January 2023 according to the British Heart Foundation.

However, according to the latest statistical figures obtained from AQI, March 2024 witnessed the shortest average response times for all four categories of
emergency calls since August 2023.