• The BBC has published a new tracker allowing people to check urgent ambulance response times at a postcode level.
• Its investigation found that critically injured patients in rural areas are at risk due to the time it takes the ambulance service to reach them.
• It also found that there are some rural areas in Britain where it took over 20 minutes on average for the ambulance service to reach a patient during January to October last year.
  
  

Responding, the director of communications at NHS Providers, Adam Brimelow, said:

“The introduction of new ambulance standards has resulted in quicker responses for people who need help most.

“The latest official figures – for January - show more than half of ambulance trusts were meeting the seven minute average response time for patients with a life threatening condition, despite continuing financial and workforce pressures and growing demand for urgent and emergency care.

The latest official figures – for January - show more than half of ambulance trusts were meeting the seven minute average response time for patients with a life threatening condition.

Adam Brimelow    

“The geography, age profile of local populations and the availability of other emergency services all influence how quickly ambulance services are able to respond. Living in a rural or urban area also makes a difference.

“Recent investment and a focus on expanding training and recruitment of paramedics are all positive steps which will help ambulance trusts and their staff to improve response times.  

“Ambulance trusts play a key role in their wider health and care systems. As demand for the NHS continues to rise we must recognise their potential to help keep people out of hospital.”