New figures show that West Midlands Ambulance is getting to more patients, more quickly than ever before.

The data, which was published by NHS England shows that the Trust has improved its performance in each of the four categories of calls that it is measured on. It also remains the only Trust in the country exceeding all of the standards.

Category 1 calls, where a patient has a life threatening injury or illness, should be responded to in a maximum of seven minutes. The average response time in the West Midlands in the last 12 months was 6 minutes and 44 seconds. Trust Chief Executive, Anthony Marsh, said:

“This is excellent news for patients and is down to the incredible efforts of our staff, who work so hard in often difficult circumstances to ensure patients get the best possible care.

“The new ambulance response standards, which were introduced last year, have allowed us to prioritise those patients in greatest need, while ensuring that every call counts. What the figures show is that despite the number of 999 calls continuing to rise, response times have improved considerably.

“We have the newest fleet of vehicles in the country that brings real benefits for patients and staff alike; and we will continue to invest in the people that support our frontline staff, like those that restock and clean the vehicles, the fleet department who maintain them and those that ensure that we have the right equipment available for our staff to use.

“As a Trust, we will continue to do everything possible to ensure we provide the highest quality of care to every patient.”