Ambulances called to serious emergencies in the East of England, which encompasses Essex, have the longest waiting times of anywhere in the UK, according to new data. The East of England Ambulance Service, which serves the county of Essex, has the longest wait times for life-threatening injuries of anywhere in the country.
Ambulances took an average of 11 minutes and 12 seconds to respond to category one calls - those for life threatening injuries - in the Essex region in October. That’s up from 10 minutes 49 seconds in September, and far longer than the 7 minute target set by the NHS.
This means it’s also the longest category one response time of any ambulance service in England, as compared to the average wait time for ambulances across England as a whole, category one calls were responded to in an average of 9 minutes and 56 seconds.
A spokesperson for the East of England Ambulance Service said: "Our service is under extreme pressure with many ambulances delayed outside hospitals and high call volumes.
"To help us respond effectively we have increased our escalation state across the Trust. We urge the public to please support us by using our services wisely and only calling for life-threatening illnesses and injuries."
Source: Essex Live, 10 November 2022
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