Stroke Association response to announcement of new ambulance service standards

NHS England has today (Thursday, 13 July) announced a new set of performance targets for the ambulance service which will apply to all 999 calls for the first time.

The new targets will save lives and remove “hidden” and long waits suffered by millions of patients, including reducing lengthy waits for the frail and elderly. The new system is backed by the Association of Ambulance Chief Executives, the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, the Stroke Association and the British Heart Foundation amongst others. 

Juliet Bouverie, Chief Executive of the Stroke Association said:

“We support the recommendations of the Ambulance Response Programme. It is vital that all stroke patients get to a stroke unit as quickly as possible in order to get lifesaving treatment to minimise the impact of their stroke. Under the current system, the first responder to a stroke patient could be on a motorbike – but this vehicle can’t transport the patient to hospital meaning they have to wait even longer for a second ambulance to arrive. By allowing ambulance call handlers a little more time to determine what is wrong with a patient, it ensures that stroke patients can be identified and that the right vehicle - a two crew ambulance - can be sent out immediately to get the patient to hospital quickly and safely so that they can be treated on a stroke unit.”