§ Mr. SpearingTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will tabulate for the months of July to November the response performance by percentage of emergency call of the London ambulance service for each month under the headings(a) activation time, (b) response time within eight minutes, (c) response time within 14 minutes and
Activation time: Within 3 minutes Response time: Within 8 minutes Response time: Within 14 minutes Average daily number of "999" calls received Average daily number of calls where response 26 minutes or over Month Per cent. Per cent. Per cent. Number Number July 38 13 62 1,083 76 August 40 14 65 1,034 67 September 38 13 64 1,051 63 October 31 10 58 1,115 91
Performance benchmarks:
- 95 per cent. of calls activated within three minutes.
- 50 per cent. of calls responded to within eight minutes.
- 95 per cent. of calls responded to within 14 minutes.
Patient's Charter Standard:
- 95 per cent. of calls responded to within 14 minutes.
§ Mr. SpearingTo ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to her answer on 15 December,Official Report, col. 721, concerning an increase of £14 million for the London ambulance service in the financial year 1994–95, what portion of this sum is likely to be used in defraying and deficit in the year 1993–94; what net increase in the number of emergency ambulances and qualified ambulance personnel she expects to be in service by December 1994 or any later month; and what percentage increase this represents over those currently available in each case.
§ Mr. SackvilleThe reply given by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State to my hon. Friend the Member for Surbiton (Mr. Tracy) on 15 December at col.721 stated that, the London ambulance service—LAS—will receive an extra £14.8 million in 1994–95 over its baseline budget for 1993–94. None of this is expected to be used to cover any deficit in the 1993–94 financial year. £4 million is capital money to assist the LAS in the purchase of 120 new accident and emergency vehicles. The balance is revenue moneys, of which £3.5 million is to fund on-going developments already started by the LAS including: extra telephonists in central ambulance control, improved fleet maintenance, motorcycle and rapid response units and paramedic training. The remaining £7.3 million is to fund an increase in accident and emergency staffing, additional paramedic training and to strengthen management skills, especially in information technology. The LAS will now be able to renew over a third of its accident and emergency fleet and, by December 1994, to increase the number of qualified ambulance persons by 240–16 per cent.—sufficient to staff an additional 20 ambulances—15 per cent.—around the clock every day.