Unreliable communication of ambulance dispatch status and expectations
First to latest report 16 Dec 2013 — 15 Jun 2026
Reports that mention this concern
13
Times this concern has been raised
16
Stated actions linked to this concern
12
What this concern includes
Includes failures of communication dedicated to ambulance dispatch and response status, including misleading dispatch wording, unclear response expectations and inadequate updates after a call has been placed.
What is not included
Excludes delays caused solely by ambulance resource shortages, staffing or hospital handover congestion where communication reliability is not the identified unsafe condition.
Excludes failures in clinical, mental-health, social-care or other discharge and referral communications not specifically tied to ambulance dispatch status or expectations.
Excludes failures of emergency call assessment or clinical prioritisation where the concern is the decision itself rather than communicating dispatch status or expectations.
Trends
Reports over time
Reports mentioning this concern, over time
Reports about this concern issued each year.
* 2026 is projected from reports observed to 7 Sep 2026.
Most frequent recipients
Most frequent recipients
Reports about this concern sent to each recipient.
NHS England5
South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust3
Department of Health and Social Care2
East Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Trust2
NEMS Community Benefit Services Limited2
NHS Nottingham and Nottinghamshire Integrated Care Board2
North West Ambulance Service NHS Trust2
Aneurin Bevan University LHB1
Brother and next of kin1
Counsel1
NHS Pathways1
Rye Hill Prison1
South Central Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust1
Welsh Ambulance Services NHS Trust1
NHS trust9
Executive non-departmental public body5
Company limited by guarantee2
Integrated care board2
Ministerial department2
Local health board1
Prison or young offender institution1
Sub-organisation1
Type not available1
Reports and published responses 13 reports
See individual reports that have raised this concern, and the actions taken in response
West Sussex, Brighton and Hove
Concerns raised2
Inability to provide callers with estimated ambulance attendance times
Failure to inform callers when no ambulance is being arranged
Linked response
NHS England
Stated actions An action is something a respondent says it has done, is doing, or plans to do in response to the concern raised.1
NHS England
Work with ambulance services to develop standard scripts for situations where Ambulance Response Programme standards will not be met.
Respondent positions A position is what a respondent says about the concern when they do not describe a specific action.2
NHS England
Operational information, including ambulance waiting times, falls outside the remit of NHS Pathways triage.
Outside remitThe respondent said that this matter was outside its role or authority.
NHS England
Individual ambulance services are responsible for managing operational delays and associated caller information under local governance and procedures.
Redirects responsibilityThe respondent said that another organisation was responsible for deciding or taking action.
Manchester South
Concerns raised1
Absence of a follow-up communication system for significant unforeseen ambulance delays
This report raised 1 other concern. They are not shown here because they do not form part of this recurring concern.
Linked response
North West Ambulance Service NHS Trust
Stated actions An action is something a respondent says it has done, is doing, or plans to do in response to the concern raised.1
North West Ambulance Service NHS Trust
Explore SMS updates for patients awaiting an ambulance or further clinical assessment.
Respondent positions A position is what a respondent says about the concern when they do not describe a specific action.1
North West Ambulance Service NHS Trust
Finite resources prevent NWAS from providing callback updates because this would reduce capacity to answer other 999 calls and provide essential information.
Unable to actThe respondent said that a constraint prevented them from taking the relevant action.
Nottinghamshire
Concerns raised1
Failure to inform waiting families when an ambulance will not be sent
This report raised 4 other concerns. They are not shown here because they do not form part of this recurring concern.
Linked responses
East Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Trust
NEMS
NHS England
Stated actions An action is something a respondent says it has done, is doing, or plans to do in response to the concern raised.4
NEMS
Introduce a standardised opening statement explaining NEMS’s role and that an ambulance may not be sent.
NEMS
Audit call recordings for compliance with the standardised opening statement.
East Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Trust
Submit a supplier development request for automated text notifications when calls are transferred through the Interoperability Toolkit.
East Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Trust
Implement automated text notifications confirming request status when calls are transferred through the Interoperability Toolkit.
Respondent positions A position is what a respondent says about the concern when they do not describe a specific action.3
NHS England
Concerns other than concern three are better addressed by EMAS, NEMS and Nottingham and Nottinghamshire Integrated Care Board.
Redirects responsibilityThe respondent said that another organisation was responsible for deciding or taking action.
NHS England
NHS England cannot comment on whether families were told an ambulance would not be sent because other services spoke to the patient.
Unable to actThe respondent said that a constraint prevented them from taking the relevant action.
NHS England
The Integrated Care Board is best placed to address concerns about the exit scripts informing families whether an ambulance will be sent.
Redirects responsibilityThe respondent said that another organisation was responsible for deciding or taking action.
Nottinghamshire
Concerns raised1
Failure to inform waiting families that an ambulance will be sent
This report raised 5 other concerns. They are not shown here because they do not form part of this recurring concern.
Linked responses
East Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Trust
NEMS Community Benefit Services
NHS England
Stated actions An action is something a respondent says it has done, is doing, or plans to do in response to the concern raised.4
NEMS Community Benefit Services
Use a standardised opening statement to explain NEMS involvement and ambulance arrangements to callers.
NEMS Community Benefit Services
Audit call recordings for compliance with the standardised opening statement.
East Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Trust
Submit a development request to the CAD supplier for caller text notifications when calls are transferred through the Interoperability Toolkit.
East Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Trust
Introduce CAD functionality that texts callers confirming the status of requests transferred through the Interoperability Toolkit.
Respondent positions A position is what a respondent says about the concern when they do not describe a specific action.3
NHS England
The response cannot comment on whether families were informed because NHS 111 and NEMS, rather than the ambulance service, spoke to the patient.
Unable to actThe respondent said that a constraint prevented them from taking the relevant action.
NHS England
The ICB is best placed to address concerns about the wording of exit scripts informing families whether an ambulance will be sent.
Redirects responsibilityThe respondent said that another organisation was responsible for deciding or taking action.
East Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Trust
The current CAD system cannot automatically notify families when an ambulance will not be sent, pending supplier development of this functionality.
Unable to actThe respondent said that a constraint prevented them from taking the relevant action.
Manchester South
Concerns raised2
Use of NHS Pathways call-handler script wording that misleadingly implies ambulance dispatch
Cancellation of ambulance responses without discussion with callers
This report raised 1 other concern. They are not shown here because they do not form part of this recurring concern.
Linked responses
Department of Health and Social Care
NHS England
Respondent positions A position is what a respondent says about the concern when they do not describe a specific action.4
NHS England
Local ambulance providers determine Category 3 and 4 exit-script wording rather than NHS England determining it nationally.
Redirects responsibilityThe respondent said that another organisation was responsible for deciding or taking action.
Department of Health and Social Care
NHS England is responsible for addressing concerns about the NHS Pathways script wording used by call handlers.
Redirects responsibilityThe respondent said that another organisation was responsible for deciding or taking action.
NHS England
Ambulance validation and cancellation fall outside NHS Pathways’ remit.
Outside remitThe respondent said that this matter was outside its role or authority.
NHS England
The Greater Manchester Clinical Assessment Service is responsible for investigating the ambulance validation and cancellation.
Redirects responsibilityThe respondent said that another organisation was responsible for deciding or taking action.
Manchester South
Concerns raised1
Failure of the call-handling script to support discussion of self-transport or provide a realistic ambulance-arrival timescale
This report raised 2 other concerns. They are not shown here because they do not form part of this recurring concern.
Linked response
NHS England
Stated actions An action is something a respondent says it has done, is doing, or plans to do in response to the concern raised.1
NHS England
Explore adding advice to ambulance call scripts to direct callers to the nearest hospital with an emergency department when appropriate.
Respondent positions A position is what a respondent says about the concern when they do not describe a specific action.1
NHS England
Providing an accurate ambulance arrival time is impracticable because lower-priority responses may be diverted to higher-priority incidents.
Unable to actThe respondent said that a constraint prevented them from taking the relevant action.
Gwent
Concerns raised2
Lack of an indicated expected response time for Amber 1 calls
Failure to advise callers of the expected emergency ambulance arrival time
This report raised 2 other concerns. They are not shown here because they do not form part of this recurring concern.
No linked response statements
No respondent-stated action or position is linked to these concerns in the published data.
Manchester South
Concerns raised1
Lack of clarity about expectations for updates after call-centre calls to the ambulance service
This report raised 1 other concern. They are not shown here because they do not form part of this recurring concern.
Linked response
Department of Health and Social Care
Respondent positions A position is what a respondent says about the concern when they do not describe a specific action.1
Department of Health and Social Care
The AACE cannot mandate or instruct ambulance services, limiting its authority to require implementation of responsive safety changes.
Unable to actThe respondent said that a constraint prevented them from taking the relevant action.
Brighton and Hove
Concerns raised1
Failure to explain the likely ambulance timing and estimated time of arrival
This report raised 5 other concerns. They are not shown here because they do not form part of this recurring concern.
Linked responses
NHS England
South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust
Stated actions An action is something a respondent says it has done, is doing, or plans to do in response to the concern raised.1
NHS England
Deploy a call-handler script advising callers of the ambulance’s estimated arrival timeframe to support informed decisions about waiting or travelling to hospital safely.
Respondent positions A position is what a respondent says about the concern when they do not describe a specific action.2
South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust
The service cannot provide an ambulance arrival timeframe because multiple factors determine when a particular ambulance resource will arrive.
Unable to actThe respondent said that a constraint prevented them from taking the relevant action.
NHS England
Exact ambulance arrival times can only be provided by South East Coast Ambulance Service using its live operational information.
Redirects responsibilityThe respondent said that another organisation was responsible for deciding or taking action.
Northamptonshire
Concerns raised1
Failure to pass updated patient condition information to the ambulance service
This report raised 1 other concern. They are not shown here because they do not form part of this recurring concern.
No linked response statements
No respondent-stated action or position is linked to these concerns in the published data.
Actions and positions describe what organisations say in published responses. Implementation is not independently verified.
Actions and positions describe what organisations say in published responses. Implementation is not independently verified.