Cheshire MP: North West Ambulance Service missing targets

Patients suffering suspected heart attacks and strokes across the North West - including Cheshire – waited an average of almost 48 minutes for the ambulance to arrive.

North West Ambulance Service (NWAS), which is under huge pressure, should be responding to these category 2 emergency calls - which also include major burns and sepsis - in 18 minutes on average.

But it took an average 47 minutes and 39 seconds in 2021-22.

While category one call-outs for life-threatening injuries and illnesses took eight minutes and 42 seconds on average, against the aim of responding to these in an average of seven minutes.

Weaver Vale Labour MP Mike Amesbury highlighted the worrying statistics during a parliamentary debate about waiting times in emergency care but blamed Government underfunding of the NHS for the ‘crisis’.

He said: "It’s so obvious that it shouldn’t need pointing out, but when it comes to strokes and heart attacks, every minute counts.

"The difference between 18 minutes and 48 minutes absolutely can mean the difference between life and death.

"For the most serious cases, where there is an imminent risk to life, average response times were almost two minutes over the target."

The MP added: "We have an NHS and a care system both cut back to the bone, that’s left, in particular, elderly and disabled people going without the care they need.

"NHS founder Nye Bevan will be turning in his grave at this crisis.

"A crisis that’s perhaps most apparent when we look at emergency care provision.

"Like the rest of country, the North West Ambulance Trust is missing ambulance response targets by a country mile."

Under NHS England standards, category three urgent calls should see a crew arrive within two hours in 90 per cent of cases.

But the statistics show the actual standard achieved in 2021-22 was seven hours and six minutes. And the average response time was almost three hours at two hours and 53 minutes.