First reported 24 Feb 2014•Latest report 23 Mar 2026
Definition
What this concern includes
Includes recurring failures, resource constraints, dispatch problems and other dedicated ambulance-service response failures that result in delayed attendance to patients or emergency calls.
Not included
Excludes delays occurring after ambulance arrival, including hospital handover and crew-release delays.
Excludes delays in other emergency services, such as police, fire and rescue, or specialist clinical on-call attendance.
Excludes generic staffing, capacity or information-sharing deficiencies unless the reports explicitly tie them to delayed ambulance attendance.
Reports
118
Distinct published reports
Individual concerns
129
A report can raise multiple concerns
Date range
2014–2026
First to latest report issue date
Stated actions
460
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 Care53
NHS England25
Welsh Ambulance Services NHS Trust22
Betsi Cadwaladr University LHB9
North East Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust8
Association of Ambulance Chief Executives7
East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust7
East Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Trust6
Welsh Government6
Conwy County Borough Council4
Denbighshire County Council4
Flintshire County Council4
Gwynedd Council4
Isle of Anglesey County Council4
NHS West Yorkshire Integrated Care Board4
NHS trust57
Ministerial department53
Executive non-departmental public body25
Local health board15
Integrated care board14
Health-sector membership body7
Police force7
Devolved government6
Health professional body6
Type not available5
Welsh county borough council4
Welsh county council4
Healthcare site3
Other public body3
Coronial office2
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.
Cornwall and Isles of Scilly
Concerns raised1
Systemic failure causing ambulance delays
This report raised 3 other concerns. 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.1
Action
Provide £200 million to ambulance trusts to expand capacity and improve 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 April 2024.
Respondent positions A position is what a respondent says about the concern when they do not describe a specific action.1
Position
Specific actions to reduce handover delays and improve ambulance response times are best undertaken locally by SWAST and Royal Cornwall Hospital.
Stated by Department of Health and Social CareRedirects responsibilityThe respondent said that another organisation was responsible for deciding or taking action.
South Yorkshire (Western)
Concerns raised1
Failure to provide Category 2 ambulance responses within 40 minutes
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.2
Action
Provide additional funding to expand ambulance capacity and increase staffed hospital beds.
Stated by Department of Health and Social CareStated completedThe respondent said that this action was complete when they made their response on 25 March 2024.
Action
Participate with YAS and regional ICBs in joint priority-setting, performance improvement and additional investment allocation.
Stated by NHS West Yorkshire Integrated Care BoardStated in progressThe respondent said that this action was in progress when they made their response on 25 March 2024.
Respondent positions A position is what a respondent says about the concern when they do not describe a specific action.1
Position
West Yorkshire Integrated Care Board will respond on the specific local actions being taken to support ambulance response times.
Stated by Department of Health and Social CareRedirects responsibilityThe respondent said that another organisation was responsible for deciding or taking action.
Manchester South
Concerns raised1
Delays in paramedics attending Category 2 calls due to staff and emergency vehicle shortages
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.5
Action
Publish the delivery plan for recovering urgent and emergency care services.
Stated by Department of Health and Social CareStated completedThe respondent said that this action was complete when they made their response on 19 March 2024.
Action
Maintain additional ambulance capacity funded to expand capacity and improve response times during 2024/25.
Stated by Department of Health and Social CareStated completedThe respondent said that this action was complete when they made their response on 19 March 2024.
Action
Deliver 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 19 March 2024.
Action
Increase ambulance workforce capacity through investment in NHS ambulance and support staff.
Stated by Department of Health and Social CareStated completedThe respondent said that this action was complete when they made their response on 19 March 2024.
Action
Boost paramedic numbers by up to 15,600 under 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 19 March 2024.
Respondent positions A position is what a respondent says about the concern when they do not describe a specific action.1
Position
NWAS is best placed to respond on specific local actions to improve ambulance response times.
Stated by Department of Health and Social CareRedirects responsibilityThe respondent said that another organisation was responsible for deciding or taking action.
Swansea and Neath Port Talbot
Concerns raised1
Delays in getting ambulances to vulnerable patients
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.2
Action
Seek cross-government and health-system support to improve clinical risk management and release resources for community responses.
Stated by Welsh Ambulance Services OfficeStated in progressThe respondent said that this action was in progress when they made their response on 14 March 2024.
Action
Update dispatch codes to automatically deploy community volunteer and falls-response teams for patients on the ground over one hour.
Stated by Welsh Ambulance Services OfficeStated completedThe respondent said that this action was complete when they made their response on 14 March 2024.
Respondent positions A position is what a respondent says about the concern when they do not describe a specific action.1
Position
Existing plans, resource measures and organisational monitoring are considered sufficient, so no further action is proposed on ambulance and hospital delays.
Stated by Welsh Ambulance Services OfficeExisting arrangements considered sufficientThe respondent said that existing arrangements were sufficient, so no further action was needed.
Oxfordshire
Concerns raised1
Delays in ambulance or paramedic attendance
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.8
Action
Refresh dispatch models to avoid unnecessary multiple-vehicle dispatches and review continued rapid-response-vehicle deployment.
Stated by South Central Ambulance Service NHS Foundation TrustStated in progressThe respondent said that this action was in progress when they made their response on 6 February 2025.
Action
Implement revised recruitment and retention plans to improve staffing numbers and placement of staff in appropriate posts.
Stated by South Central Ambulance Service NHS Foundation TrustStated completedThe respondent said that this action was complete when they made their response on 6 February 2025.
Action
Complete the rota review and implement the remaining new rotas.
Stated by South Central Ambulance Service NHS Foundation TrustStatus at responseThe respondent said that this action was partly complete when they made their response on 6 February 2025.
Action
Appoint a People Promise Manager and run exemplar programmes to improve frontline staff retention.
Stated by South Central Ambulance Service NHS Foundation TrustStated in progressThe respondent said that this action was in progress when they made their response on 6 February 2025.
Action
Increase paramedic apprenticeship numbers to expand the clinical workforce responding to patients.
Stated by South Central Ambulance Service NHS Foundation TrustStated completedThe respondent said that this action was complete when they made their response on 6 February 2025.
Action
Review ambulance-crew skill mix and dispatch clinical or non-clinical resources according to patient needs.
Stated by South Central Ambulance Service NHS Foundation TrustStated completedThe respondent said that this action was complete when they made their response on 6 February 2025.
Action
Implement the joint healthcare-partner process governing ambulance handover waiting times across all SCAS-area hospitals.
Stated by South Central Ambulance Service NHS Foundation TrustStated completedThe respondent said that this action was complete when they made their response on 6 February 2025.
Action
Update the vehicle fleet to improve reliability and reduce vehicles being unavailable or breaking down during operations.
Stated by South Central Ambulance Service NHS Foundation TrustStated in progressThe respondent said that this action was in progress when they made their response on 6 February 2025.
Teesside and Hartlepool
Concerns raised1
Failure to meet Category 2 ambulance response-time targets
This report raised 3 other concerns. 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.19
Action
Publish a delivery plan for recovering urgent and emergency care services, including reducing 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 25 January 2024.
Action
Expand and maintain ambulance capacity through additional funding to improve 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 25 January 2024.
Action
Deliver new ambulances and specialist mental health vehicles to increase ambulance capacity.
Stated by Department of Health and Social CareStated in progressThe respondent said that this action was in progress when they made their response on 25 January 2024.
Action
Continue delivering paramedic and Clinical Care Assistant recruitment plans to increase response capacity.
Stated by North East Ambulance Service NHS Foundation TrustStated in progressThe respondent said that this action was in progress when they made their response on 25 January 2024.
Action
Secure and use additional third-party hours funded by NHS England investment.
Stated by North East Ambulance Service NHS Foundation TrustStated completedThe respondent said that this action was complete when they made their response on 25 January 2024.
Action
Offer targeted overtime shifts to increase ambulance capacity.
Stated by North East Ambulance Service NHS Foundation TrustStated in progressThe respondent said that this action was in progress when they made their response on 25 January 2024.
Action
Establish bi-weekly fleet meetings to oversee vehicle shortages and improve vehicle availability.
Stated by North East Ambulance Service NHS Foundation TrustStated completedThe respondent said that this action was complete when they made their response on 25 January 2024.
Action
Implement the annual-leave buy-back scheme.
Stated by North East Ambulance Service NHS Foundation TrustStated completedThe respondent said that this action was complete when they made their response on 25 January 2024.
Action
Establish and progress a task-and-finish programme to release operational time and improve downtime management.
Stated by North East Ambulance Service NHS Foundation TrustStated in progressThe respondent said that this action was in progress when they made their response on 25 January 2024.
Action
Operate the centralised Operations Co-ordination Centre for time-critical operational matters.
Stated by North East Ambulance Service NHS Foundation TrustStated completedThe respondent said that this action was complete when they made their response on 25 January 2024.
Action
Implement handover escalation, navigation and liaison measures to mitigate ambulance handover delays.
Stated by North East Ambulance Service NHS Foundation TrustStated completedThe respondent said that this action was complete when they made their response on 25 January 2024.
Action
Implement a dedicated dispatcher and coordinate third-party resources for Pass to Patient Transport Service work.
Stated by North East Ambulance Service NHS Foundation TrustStated plannedThe respondent said that this action was planned when they made their response on 25 January 2024.
Action
Improve Patient Transport Service staffing and resources for urgent, low-acuity and weekend demand.
Stated by North East Ambulance Service NHS Foundation TrustStated completedThe respondent said that this action was complete when they made their response on 25 January 2024.
Action
Review deployment guidance and responses per incident against national benchmarks.
Stated by North East Ambulance Service NHS Foundation TrustStated completedThe respondent said that this action was complete when they made their response on 25 January 2024.
Action
Review the end-of-shift tasking policy to identify opportunities to improve Category 2 response.
Stated by North East Ambulance Service NHS Foundation TrustStated completedThe respondent said that this action was complete when they made their response on 25 January 2024.
Action
Implement a one-division eVDI and daily-clean trial with standardised task timing and dispatch alerts.
Stated by North East Ambulance Service NHS Foundation TrustStated in progressThe respondent said that this action was in progress when they made their response on 25 January 2024.
Action
Implement staggered crew shifts and third-party bridging shifts to maintain capacity during transitions.
Stated by North East Ambulance Service NHS Foundation TrustStated in progressThe respondent said that this action was in progress when they made their response on 25 January 2024.
Action
Request additional commissioner funding for operational resources and Dispatch investment.
Stated by North East Ambulance Service NHS Foundation TrustStated completedThe respondent said that this action was complete when they made their response on 25 January 2024.
Action
Finalise the business case for commissioners to consider increased Dispatch resources.
Stated by North East Ambulance Service NHS Foundation TrustStated in progressThe respondent said that this action was in progress when they made their response on 25 January 2024.
Respondent positions A position is what a respondent says about the concern when they do not describe a specific action.1
Position
Some planned improvements to ambulance response performance depend on securing additional funding through forthcoming negotiations.
Stated by North East Ambulance Service NHS Foundation TrustUnable to actThe respondent said that a constraint prevented them from taking the relevant action.
Suffolk
Concerns raised1
Unavailability of ambulances for timely urgent transfers and emergency call attendances
This report raised 4 other concerns. 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.17
Action
Publish the Delivery Plan for Recovering Urgent and Emergency Care Services.
Stated by Department of Health and Social CareStated completedThe respondent said that this action was complete when they made their response on 19 January 2024.
Action
Provide £200 million of additional ambulance funding to expand capacity and improve response times.
Stated by Department of Health and Social CareStated in progressThe respondent said that this action was in progress when they made their response on 19 January 2024.
Action
Deliver 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 19 January 2024.
Action
Provide £1.6 billion over two years to support timely and effective hospital discharge.
Stated by Department of Health and Social CareStated in progressThe respondent said that this action was in progress when they made their response on 19 January 2024.
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 19 January 2024.
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 19 January 2024.
Action
Improve ambulance performance and response times across England.
Stated by NHS EnglandStated in progressThe respondent said that this action was in progress when they made their response on 19 January 2024.
Action
Increase ambulance capacity by growing the workforce.
Stated by NHS EnglandStated in progressThe respondent said that this action was in progress when they made their response on 19 January 2024.
Action
Speed up hospital discharges to support ambulance availability and urgent care flow.
Stated by NHS EnglandStated in progressThe respondent said that this action was in progress when they made their response on 19 January 2024.
Action
Maintain and update the national framework for inter-facility ambulance transfers.
Stated by NHS EnglandStated completedThe respondent said that this action was complete when they made their response on 19 January 2024.
Action
Recruit additional frontline clinicians to increase ambulance staffing, targeting more than 300 clinicians in place by March 2024.
Stated by The TrustStated in progressThe respondent said that this action was in progress when they made their response on 19 January 2024.
Action
Recruit additional control-room clinicians to expand clinical triage and enable safer transfers to alternative services.
Stated by The TrustStated in progressThe respondent said that this action was in progress when they made their response on 19 January 2024.
Action
Establish and operate the Suffolk Unscheduled Care Coordination Hub with healthcare partners to increase appropriate referrals and provide remote crew support.
Stated by The TrustStated in progressThe respondent said that this action was in progress when they made their response on 19 January 2024.
Action
Implement the Operational Performance and Improvement Plan to improve organisational efficiency and maximise ambulance availability.
Stated by The TrustStated completedThe respondent said that this action was complete when they made their response on 19 January 2024.
Action
Work with local acute trusts to reduce hospital delays affecting ambulance availability.
Stated by The TrustStated in progressThe respondent said that this action was in progress when they made their response on 19 January 2024.
Action
Implement the Call before you convey programme with healthcare partners to support appropriate conveyance and pathway decisions.
Stated by The TrustStated in progressThe respondent said that this action was in progress when they made their response on 19 January 2024.
Action
Implement a same-day emergency care team at West Suffolk Hospital to direct patients to appropriate facilities and reduce emergency-department handover delays.
Stated by The TrustStated completedThe respondent said that this action was complete when they made their response on 19 January 2024.
Respondent positions A position is what a respondent says about the concern when they do not describe a specific action.1
Position
NHS England and the ambulance trust are responsible for responding to the report’s specific concerns within their respective remits.
Stated by Department of Health and Social CareRedirects responsibilityThe respondent said that another organisation was responsible for deciding or taking action.
South Yorkshire (Western)
Concerns raised1
Delays in ambulance response times
This report raised 3 other concerns. 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.
No linked response statements
No respondent-stated action or position is linked to these concerns in the published data.
Liverpool and the Wirral
Concerns raised2
Insufficient ambulance service capacity during periods of high demand
Delays in ambulance dispatch
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.4
Action
Publish a delivery plan to recover urgent and emergency care services and improve waiting times.
Stated by Department of Health and Social CareStated completedThe respondent said that this action was complete when they made their response on 28 December 2023.
Action
Maintain additional ambulance capacity funded to expand availability and improve response times.
Stated by Department of Health and Social CareStated in progressThe respondent said that this action was in progress when they made their response on 28 December 2023.
Action
Deliver 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 28 December 2023.
Action
Increase the ambulance workforce and plan to add up to 15,600 paramedics 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 28 December 2023.
South Yorkshire (Western)
Concerns raised1
Delays in ambulance responses to Category 2 calls
This report raised 2 other concerns. 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.7
Action
Publish the delivery plan for recovering urgent and emergency care services.
Stated by Department of Health and Social CareStated completedThe respondent said that this action was complete when they made their response on 11 December 2023.
Action
Maintain additional ambulance capacity funded to improve response times during 2024/25.
Stated by Department of Health and Social CareStated completedThe respondent said that this action was complete when they made their response on 11 December 2023.
Action
Deliver 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 11 December 2023.
Action
Deliver 5,000 additional staffed, permanent hospital beds and maintain this capacity uplift in 2024/25.
Stated by Department of Health and Social CareStated completedThe respondent said that this action was complete when they made their response on 11 December 2023.
Action
Scale up national virtual ward capacity to more than 10,000 beds.
Stated by Department of Health and Social CareStated completedThe respondent said that this action was complete when they made their response on 11 December 2023.
Action
Provide £1.6 billion over two years to support timely and effective hospital discharge.
Stated by Department of Health and Social CareStated completedThe respondent said that this action was complete when they made their response on 11 December 2023.
Action
Continue working with NHS England to reduce ambulance response times.
Stated by Department of Health and Social CareStated in progressThe respondent said that this action was in progress when they made their response on 11 December 2023.
Respondent positions A position is what a respondent says about the concern when they do not describe a specific action.1
Position
Local action to improve ambulance response and patient handover times is assigned to South Yorkshire Integrated Care Board, as best placed to respond.
Stated by Department of Health and Social CareRedirects responsibilityThe respondent said that another organisation was responsible for deciding or taking action.
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Includes recurring failures, resource constraints, dispatch problems and other dedicated ambulance-service response failures that result in delayed attendance to patients or emergency calls.
