§ Mr. McCartneyTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what was the percentage of ambulances in each service in England that responded within(a) eight minutes and (b) 14 to 20 minutes to emergency calls in 1991–92.
§ Mr. SackvilleThe available information is in the table. In 1991–92 ambulance authorities had the option to return information on either the basis of emergency telephone calls received or of emergency patient journeys, with consequent variation in the basis of calculation. It is not considered that this has any significant impact on comparisons. The data are provisional.
93W
Emergency calls: Non-metropolitan authorities 1991–92 Ambulance authority Response within 8 minutes per cent. Response within 19 minutes per cent. Cleveland1 70 94 Cumbria1 53 87 Durham 254 396 Humberside1 73 99 North Yorkshire1 61 96 Derbyshire 50 397 Leicestershire1 52 96 Lincolnshire NHS Trust 65 396 Nottinghamshire 258 397 Cambridgeshire1 38 84 Norfolk NHS Trust 55 91 Suffolk 253 391 Bedfordshire1 57 95 Hertfordshire1 62 96 Essex 55 96 East Sussex1 67 98 Kent1 59 96 Surrey 250 391 West Sussex1 64 97 Dorset1 61 97 Hampshire1 55 97 Wiltshire1 62 96 Isle of Wight1 58 99 Berkshire1 51 93 Buckinghamshire 258 396 Northamptonshire 267 398 Oxfordshire 251 392 Avon1 59 99 Cornwall NHS Trust 244 392 Devon1 57 94 Gloucestershire1 55 94 Somerset1 55 91 Hereford and Worcester1 56 97 Shropshire 49 393 Staffordshire 257 399 Warwickshire1 54 94 Cheshire1 57 90 Lancashire 67 399 1 Return based on number of emergency patient journeys. 2 Response within 7 minutes. 3 Response within 20 minutes.
Emergency calls: Metropolitan authorities 1991–92 Ambulance authority Response within eight minutes Percentage Response within 14 minutes Percentage Northumbria Metropolitan NHS trust1 59 97 West Yorkshire Metropolitan 34 83 South Yorkshire Metropolitan1 229 76 London Ambulance Service1 15 64 West Midlands Metropolitan1 72 92 Mersey Metropolitan1 66 94 Greater Manchester Metropolitan 259 97 1 Return based on number of emergency patient journeys. 2 Response within seven minutes.
§ Mr. McCartneyTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what was the number of ambulance staff in England employed by the NHS in 991, using whole-time equivalents.
§ Mr. SackvilleAs at 30 September 1991, there were some 18,190 whole-time equivalent ambulance staff employed by the national health service (including those in NHS trusts).