North East Ambulance Service chief says service provides outstanding value for money following mid-table position in new league table
“Public spending on 999-ambulance services in the North East remains the lowest per incident in the UK, meaning our service continues to deliver outstanding value for money for the population.”
The words of North East Ambulance Service (NEAS) chief executive, Kevin Scollay after the region’s ambulance service was ranked fifth out of the ten national providers in the the newly published Department for Health & Social Care league tables.
The league tables were published for the first time yesterday (September 9) with the North East Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust ranked fifth with 2.32 points.
However, despite the midtable position, Mr Scollay stressed the improvements in the service and the value for money being offered in light of funding challenges.
The NEAS chief highlighted that since 2022 the service has cut the average 999 call answer time from 38 seconds to 1 second, with Category 1 response times improved from 8 minutes 51 seconds to 6 minutes 13 seconds.
Mr Scollay also pointed out that Category 2 response times have reduced from 1 hour 36 minutes to 20 minutes 51 seconds and that average hospital handover times reduced from 43 minutes to 17 minutes 44 seconds.
Mr Scollay added: “Despite a rise of around 5,000 additional incidents per month, and an extra 700 patients treated and discharged over the phone each month, only around 50% of patients are conveyed to emergency departments, showing real progress in finding the right care closer to home.
“We have made significant improvements to our service over the past three years, delivering better outcomes for patients across the North East.
“Our response times remain the best in the country, and we are proud of the commitment and professionalism our teams show every single day. Their dedication to patient care is at the heart of these achievements.
“Public spending on 999-ambulance services in the North East remains the lowest per incident in the UK, meaning our service continues to deliver outstanding value for money for the population.”
To create the table, each trust was given a score which factors in the key assessment criteria of access to services, effectiveness and experience of care, patient safety, workforce wellbeing, and finance and productivity.
The lower the score a trust received, the higher its performance placement in the table.
The North West Ambulance Service NHS Trust was ranked number one in the table with a score of 1.82 whilst the East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust was ranked in 10th position with a score of 3.02.
Mr Scollay added: “The latest league tables highlight the importance of both staff wellbeing and ensuring patients are directed to the right service for their needs.
“These remain key priorities for us. We are working closely with our partners to strengthen alternative care pathways and further reduce the number of patients taken unnecessarily to emergency departments.
“For our staff, we know there is more to do. We are already investing heavily in cultural change, work-life balance and wellbeing initiatives to make NEAS an even better place to work.”
This is the first year the Department for Health & Social Care has published league tables for NHS trusts with the aim to increase accountability and transparency when it comes to patient care and health care provider performance.