Ensuring patients get the right response

Bosses at the Welsh Ambulance Service NHS Trust (WAST) will breathe a sigh of relief as the first full set of data to be published measuring clinical care, operational efficiency and patient experience for the service since the implementation of a new clinical response model, were largely positive.

The Welsh Government announced plans to implement a new clinical response model in July 2015, with a pilot trial running for 12 months from October 2015. One of the key changes to the service during this trial is the move to having only the most serious calls—categorised as Red (immediately life-threatening)—as requiring a response time target (Welsh Government, 2016). All other calls still receive an appropriate response, and this is either through face-to-face or telephone assessment, based on clinical need. For example, for Amber calls a range of clinical outcome indicators have been introduced to measure the quality, safety and timeliness of care being delivered, alongside patient experience information (Welsh Government, 2016). This data is to be published quarterly.