First reported 26 Jun 2023•Latest report 26 Jun 2023
Definition
What this concern includes
Includes failures in SECAMBS arrangements that cause emergency or other service calls to be answered, allocated or responded to outside required target timeframes, including sustained demand pressure, insufficient available resources and related call-response capacity or deployment controls.
Not included
Excludes response-time failures in services other than SECAMBS unless the assertion explicitly concerns the same SECAMBS call-response process.
Excludes generic staffing, funding or workload deficiencies where timely SECAMBS call response is not the identified unsafe condition.
Excludes ambulance or other emergency-service attendance, hospital handover and downstream treatment failures occurring after the SECAMBS call-response process has operated.
Excludes generic emergency call-handling deficiencies unrelated to the named SECAMBS service.
Do not duplicate the broader existing concern concerning insufficient ambulance service capacity unless the assertion specifically identifies SECAMBS call-response reliability as the bounded concern.
Reports
2
Distinct published reports
Individual concerns
2
A report can raise multiple concerns
Date range
2023–2023
First to latest report issue date
Stated actions
15
Described in published responses
Reports over time
Reports 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.
Department of Health and Social Care2
South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust2
Ministerial department2
NHS trust2
Concerns and responses across reports
Only concerns grouped under this recurring concern are included. Select any concern, action or position to view the source wording.
Surrey
Concerns raised1
Failure to respond to calls within target timeframes
This report raised 1 other concern. They are not shown here because they do not form part of this recurring concern.
Responses linked to these concerns
Each statement is shown once, even when linked to more than one concern.
Actions described in response An action is something a respondent says it has done, is doing, or plans to do in response to the concern raised.9
Action
Publish the urgent and emergency care recovery plan.
Stated by Department of Health and Social CareStated completedThe respondent said that this action was complete when they made their response on 3 July 2023.
Action
Provide additional ambulance funding and maintain expanded ambulance capacity, including new ambulances and specialist mental health vehicles.
Stated by Department of Health and Social CareStated in progressThe respondent said that this action was in progress when they made their response on 3 July 2023.
Stated by Department of Health and Social CareStated completedThe respondent said that this action was complete when they made their response on 3 July 2023.
Action
Maintain the hospital bed capacity uplift in 2024/25.
Stated by Department of Health and Social CareStated in progressThe respondent said that this action was in progress when they made their response on 3 July 2023.
Action
Scale up virtual ward capacity to more than 10,000 beds nationally.
Stated by Department of Health and Social CareStated completedThe respondent said that this action was complete when they made their response on 3 July 2023.
Action
Provide funding to support timely and effective discharge from hospital.
Stated by Department of Health and Social CareStated completedThe respondent said that this action was complete when they made their response on 3 July 2023.
Action
Increase the NHS ambulance and support workforce.
Stated by Department of Health and Social CareStated completedThe respondent said that this action was complete when they made their response on 3 July 2023.
Action
Boost the number of paramedics by up to 15,600 through the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan.
Stated by Department of Health and Social CareStated plannedThe respondent said that this action was planned when they made their response on 3 July 2023.
Action
Continue working with local and national partners on programmes addressing functional demand and required clinical support.
Stated by South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Foundation TrustStated in progressThe respondent said that this action was in progress when they made their response on 3 July 2023.
Surrey
Concerns raised1
Insufficient service resources for responding to calls within target timeframes
Responses linked to these concerns
Each statement is shown once, even when linked to more than one concern.
Actions described in response An action is something a respondent says it has done, is doing, or plans to do in response to the concern raised.6
Action
Publish the urgent and emergency care recovery plan with targets for improving A&E and Category 2 ambulance response times.
Stated by Department of Health and Social CareStated completedThe respondent said that this action was complete when they made their response on 3 July 2023.
Action
Fund and maintain additional ambulance capacity, including new ambulances and specialist mental health vehicles, to improve response times.
Stated by Department of Health and Social CareStated completedThe respondent said that this action was complete when they made their response on 3 July 2023.
Action
Set out plans through the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan to increase paramedic numbers by up to 15,600.
Stated by Department of Health and Social CareStated completedThe respondent said that this action was complete when they made their response on 3 July 2023.
Action
Continue working with partners on local and national programmes addressing functional demand and clinical support.
Stated by South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Foundation TrustStated in progressThe respondent said that this action was in progress when they made their response on 3 July 2023.
Action
Conduct a system-wide review with external stakeholders to develop a sustainable care delivery model for current and future public needs.
Stated by South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Foundation TrustStated plannedThe respondent said that this action was planned when they made their response on 3 July 2023.
Action
Adjust rota patterns to improve alignment with changing demand.
Stated by South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Foundation TrustStated completedThe respondent said that this action was complete when they made their response on 3 July 2023.
Respondent positions A position is what a respondent says about the concern when they do not describe a specific action.1
Position
Comprehensive and sustainable improvement requires system-wide review and solutions with external health and care stakeholders, rather than SECAmb acting alone.
Stated by South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Foundation TrustRedirects responsibilityThe respondent said that another organisation was responsible for deciding or taking action.