Ambulance Response Times (Hansard, 8 February 1994)

§ Mr. Bayley
To ask the Secretary of State for Health in what proportion of cases an emergency ambulance arrived within 14 minutes in an urban area and within 19 minutes in a rural area in 1992–93.

§ Me. Sackville
The information is shown in the table.

Percentage of emergency responses within patients charter standard—95 per cent.—1992–93

Per cent.

Rural ambulance services 96.9

Urban ambulance services¹ 94.1

¹This excludes information on the London ambulance service.

§ Ms Walley
To ask the Secretary of State for Health when she last received a submission from the North Staffordshire district health authority in respect of a request to lower the Orcon standard for north Staffordshire; what were the reasons for the decision on this; and if she will place a copy of her reply in the Library.

§ Mr. Sackville
Ministers have received no such submission.

§ Ms Walley
To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will give the Orcon standard for accident and emergency service in respect of(a) the West Midland ambulance trust and (b) the Staffordshire ambulance trust for (i) 1992 and (ii) 1993.

§ Mr. Sackville
The national patients charter standards for these two trusts in both years are:
West Midlands ambulance trust—14 minutes

Staffordshire ambulance service—19 minutes
The reason for the difference is that the first standard relates to an urban area, and the second to a rural area.

Percentage of emergency responses within patients charter standard—95 per cent.—1992–93
	Per cent.
Rural ambulance services	96.9
Urban ambulance services¹	94.1
¹This excludes information on the London ambulance service.