AM Kirsty Williams comments on latest ambulance response times

1.38.38pm UTC (GMT +0000) Thu 30th Nov 2006

Welsh Liberal Democrat AM for Brecon and Radnorshire, Kirsty Williams, has expressed her concern at the latest ambulance response time figures for Powys.

Only two in ten emergency calls in the county receive a response within the target time of eight minutes.

Ms Williams said: "These figures show the enormous pressure that our hard working ambulance staff are under - there just are not enough resources in our area to ensure that when you need life-saving treatment, you will receive it in time. Response times in our area are getting worse, not better, and as hospital reconfiguration plans across Wales will lead to longer journeys for many patients, I can only see the situation deteriorating still further.

"These figures reinforce my belief that more resources are desperately needed in Powys, and other rural areas, to help fund community paramedics and air ambulance services - two very practical ways of getting around the problem of response times in sparsely populated areas."

Notes:

Information on Welsh ambulance services for the period 1 July - 30th September 2006 was released yesterday, and is available on the Welsh Assembly Government website (www.wales.gov.uk) in the statistics section.

The target for Category A calls (immediately life-threatening emergencies) is a response within 8 minutes. In Powys, 44% responses arrived within 8 minutes. 49.7% responses took longer than 10 minutes. The figures for the previous quarter (ending 30th June) were 44.7% and 47.5% respectively.