Ambulance Services : Welsh Ambulance Services NHS Trust

The investigation considered whether the appropriate responders/response vehicles were dispatched to Mr A (who was categorised as Amber 1) in an appropriate timeframe and whether the decision to travel at normal speed to hospital (not using sirens and blue lights) was appropriate.

The investigation found that Mr A was correctly categorised as Amber 1. Whilst there is no defined response target time for an Amber 1 category, WAST aim to respond “as soon as possible”. The investigation found that appropriate responders and vehicles were sent to Mr A. An Emergency Ambulance should have reached Mr A sooner however one was allocated as soon as a resource became available. The investigation could not determine whether an earlier allocation of an Emergency Ambulance would have altered the clinical outcome for Mr A as he endured a lengthy wait outside the hospital before admission. The investigation found that the decision to travel at normal speed to the hospital was appropriate. The complaint was not upheld.