Bob Doris MSP today welcomed the impressive improvement in ambulance response times in the Greater Glasgow Health Board area. The figures released by the Scottish Government recently follows a parliamentary question comes against a background of the Scottish Ambulance Service setting a target for 75% of all Category A, life threatening calls, to be reached in 8 minutes by March 2009.

In the Greater Glasgow area the figure for March 2008 was 69.6% and by March 2009 that had increased to 77.8% The success continued for Category B calls, serious but not threatening, with a target of 95% by March 2009. The target response time to be met varies depending on population density and ranges between 14 and 21 minutes. In Greater Glasgow there was an increase from 81% of calls to 91% of calls, a significant improvement and narrowly missing out on the target.

Commenting on these new figures Bob Doris, SNP MSP for Glasgow, said: "Improvement across Scotland shows significant progress and I am delighted that the target response time for the most serious life threatening calls was not only met but exceeded by 2.8% in the Greater Glasgow area. I pay tribute to the hard work of the Scottish Ambulance Service to deliver this target".

"I am also encouraged by the double digit improvement in response times for Category B calls, from 81% to 91% in Greater Glasgow. I am sure that continued improvement will see the 95% target met in the near future. One thing is clear though there has been a dramatic and consistent improvement in response times across the board making everyone in the Greater Glasgow area far safer."

Notes:

Parliamentary question and answer below

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how the Scottish Ambulance Services performed against response time targets in (a) 2007-08 and (b) 2008-09, broken down by (i) NHS board area and (ii) parliamentary constituency.

(S3W-29651) Nicola Sturgeon: The Scottish Ambulance Service national response time target for category A calls (life threatening) across mainland Scotland is that, by March 2009, 75% of all incidents should be reached within eight minutes. This measure is also part of the NHS Scotland HEAT Performance Management system.

The Scottish Ambulance Service national response time target for category B calls (serious but not life threatening) across mainland Scotland is that, by March 2009, 95% of all incidents should be reached within 14, 19 or 21 minutes depending on population density.

These targets are ones that the Scottish Ambulance Service were working towards during 2007-08 and 2008-09. The performance information requested is set out in the following table. Information broken down by parliamentary constituency is not held centrally.

NHS Board               March 2008(%)   March 2009(%)         
                       Cat A   Cat B   Cat A   Cat B 
Argyll and Clyde        70.6    95.4    80.2    95.8  
Ayrshire and Arran      65.5    95.4    75.7    97.2  
Borders                 53.7    90.3    65.6    94.3  
Dumfries and Galloway   61.5    91.7    71.5    94.4  
Fife                    68.2    95.1    79.9    98.1  
Forth Valley            65.0    93.9    77.8    97.4  
Grampian                76.5    96.4    79.1    96.2  
Greater Glasgow         69.6    89.1    77.8    91.1  
Highland                66.3    92.4    70.0    92.4  
Lanarkshire             65.1    96.3    76.7    97.0  
Lothian                 69.3    96.1    78.7    96.9  
Tayside                 69.3    95.4    77.9    96.9  
Mainland Scotland       68.4    94.0    77.4    95.5  

*Information provided by the Scottish Ambulance Service.
**SAS systems record data under the previous structure of 15 geographic health boards.