Buckinghamshire 999 response service smashes all time targets over Christmas and New Year

South Central Ambulance Service said they were delighted with the news.

Christmas and New Year are notoriously busy times for our emergency services, and to hit all of their targets is no small feat.

Mark Ainsworth, Director of Operations at South Central Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust, said:

“The Christmas and New Year fortnight is an exceptionally busy time for all emergency services and I’m delighted that we were able to continue to deliver excellent clinical care both

in person and over the phone, and a responsive and appropriate service to all those patients who called 999 during these two weeks.

As well as passing on my gratitude to our staff working in our clinical co-ordination centres and on the road, we also received fantastic support right across the South Central area from our

volunteer community first responders and co-responders from local fire and rescue services, police services and military personnel.”

This means that all patient emergencies received by SCAS’ clinical co-ordination centres in Bicester, Oxfordshire, and Otterbourne, Hampshire – whether triaged as a Category 1 life-

threatening emergency or a Category 4 less urgent emergency – received an ambulance response within the timescales set out by NHS England that all ambulance services are

measured by.

This included:

-999 Incidents attended 21/12/18-03/01/19: 21,631

-Busiest Day: New Year’s Day 1,794

-999 Incidents attended 20/12/19-02/01/20: 23,231 (+7.40%)

-Busiest Day: New Year’s Day 1,840

Will Hancock, Chief Executive at South Central Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust, added:

“I’d like to thank all our staff and volunteers for working so hard all year round, and particularly over the Christmas and New Year season when they are away from their families. Despite an

increase in demand for our 999 service compared to 12 months ago, the dedication, professionalism and commitment over the last two weeks has delivered these fantastic results

at the busiest time of the year.

"I would also like to thank members of the public across our region for continuing to use NHS 111, urgent treatment centres, their local GP surgery and pharmacies for minor injuries and illnesses.

"This really helps ensure that we can respond quickly to the most serious and life- threatening emergencies via our 999 service whenever and wherever they happen in our region.”