Better response times for London Ambulance Service

London Ambulance Service (LAS) has achieved its fastest response times since 2021.

The use of AI and over-the-phone assessments has helped in freeing up clinicians' time, contributing to the improvements, LAS said.

In August, for the most critically ill patients, known as category 1 calls, the average response was was six minutes and 40 seconds, the fastest since April 2022.

The response times in August for category 2 calls, which includes strokes, difficulty breathing and chest pains, was the quickest since May 2021.

The LAS said this came as emergency calls remained consistently high since the pandemic, with 20,000 more calls last month compared with August 2024.

The service said it had bolstered the ambulance fleet with 150 new vehicles and put on 200 more front-line shifts compared with August last year.

The LAS has also reduced the age of its fleet and set up out-of-hours mechanic workshops where vehicles can be repaired overnight.

Clinicians in the control room have treated more patients over the phone to avoid the need for trips to busy hospitals. Known as "hear and treat", more than one in five London patients are treated in this way.

The service's new AI tool, Ambient Voice Technology, listens to and digitally transcribes conversations between clinicians and patients and automatically transforms spoken words into structured medical notes.

Jason Killens, chief executive at the London Ambulance Service, said: "These figures are testament to the incredible efforts of everyone at LAS to improve the care we offer to patients, from our clinicians on the road and people in 999 control rooms, to those repairing our ambulances or getting them stocked for front-line shifts.

"We need to keep up this momentum and continue to adopt innovative ways of working, both inside LAS and with our NHS partners, to ensure we are offering our patients the care they need and deserve."