Ambulance Services: South West

(asked on 25th November 2021) - View Source

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports that ambulance services in the south-west of England are working at full capacity; and what steps they are taking in that region (1) to increase (a) ambulances, and (b) crews, and (2) to reduce waiting times for ambulances arriving at hospitals.


Answered by
Lord Kamall Portrait
Lord Kamall
This question was answered on 13th December 2021

NHS England and NHS Improvement advise that the South Western Ambulance Service (SWAS) is at its highest state of escalation primarily due to increased 999 activity, handover delays at emergency departments and the impact of COVID-19. To increase the number of ambulances and crews, SWAS is recruiting an additional 80 whole time equivalent 999 call answering staff and 50 paramedics. To reduce waiting times for ambulances arriving at hospitals, SWAS continues to work with acute hospitals and NHS England and NHS Improvement to improve patient handover times and reduce delays.

Reticulating Splines