Wales' ambulances meet 'red' emergency callout target

Ambulances have met a new target for responding to the most life-threatening callouts for a second month.

A total of 70.8% of red calls were reached within eight minutes in November, official figures have shown.

It is the second month of a year-long pilot to test changes to the way the Welsh Ambulance Services NHS Trust responds to patients.

In October, almost 69% of code red calls were responded to within eight minutes compared with the 65% target.

The latest figures showed more than a third of patients who received red callouts had a response within four minutes.

Deputy Health Minister Vaughan Gething said he expected the service to "continue to improve to ensure people who need the life-saving skills of ambulance clinicians do so in the quickest time possible and get the best possible outcomes".

'Manipulated'

Shadow Health Minister Darren Millar said: "It's no surprise that Labour's watered-down ambulance service targets have been met again this month.

"Frontline staff deserve to be commended for their hard work but it is the experience of patients that counts and many are still waiting too long for ambulances to turn up when they need them."

Plaid Cymru's health spokeswoman, Elin Jones, added: "These figures come as little surprise given that the Labour Welsh government recently manipulated the targets. The reality is that far too many people are still waiting far too long for emergency attention."