The Yorkshire Ambulance Service and the North East Ambulance Service are both experiencing the same problems as all Ambulance Trusts nationwide, slower response times than ideally preferred.

Firstly, lets make it clear that all Ambulance Trusts are staffed with professional people from top to bottom who are just as concerned about slower than normal response times as the rest of us.

However, the reality is that slow response times may endanger lives, and we the public need to understand what is creating this slow response and how the Ambulance Service triages emergency calls from the public. Also, what we the public can do to take the pressure off the Ambulance Service and safeguard ourselves.

Each response time is measured as the time taken for a trained person to reach a casualty on an urgent callout.

There are 2 main factors that affect the response time. Firstly, the time taken in the first instance for the 999 operator to answer the emergency call. Secondly, the time taken for the Ambulance, once activated, to arrive on scene.

It goes without saying that the effects on response times at all levels is being seriously affected by Covid-19. More calls, more delays at the A&E departments and staff shortages due to staff being in isolation. Unfortunately, both the communications department and the Ambulance Crews themselves cannot be replaced at short notice because of illness or being in isolation.

In our particular sector, Pubic Access Defibrillators, we rarely hear about the operator answering the call within the first minute, with the Ambulance arriving 8 minutes later, which is still close to the average for the Yorkshire Ambulance Service. We only get feedback when the caller had to wait 10 minutes and more for the operator to answer, and another 20 minutes for the Ambulance to arrive. This is because in times of serious medical emergency the slower response times are more noticeable and concerning to the caller and family members.

An urgent call out is classified as any of the cases below:

• Cardiac Arrests
• Stab Wounds and Shootings
• Major Blood Loss
• Seizures
• Casualties who can’t breathe or are having difficulty breathing
• Women in the end stages of labour
• Now including severe Covid-19 symptoms

There are a number of things that we can do to help safeguard our communities.

• Only ring 999 if it is a life threatening situation. Otherwise, contact your Doctor or 111.
• Consider funding one or more Public Access Defibrillators for your community. They are only activated if within 600 metres of the incident, so some communities will benefit from having 2 or more strategically placed within the community.
• If you already have a defibrillator indoors, consider the purchase of a cabinet that can be placed externally and therefore available to the public 24/7.
• If you have a defibrillator indoors but there are restrictions prohibiting it being installed externally, consider registering the defibrillator as available to the public during your specified opening hours.
• Ensure that any Public Access Defibrillators in your community are regularly checked and are rescue ready, and registered with either the local Ambulance Trust or the Circuit. Each defibrillator should have a Defibrillator Guardian reporting regularly as to its status.

• Gain some First Aid training. Contact your local Ambulance Trust or local St John Ambulance.
• Consider becoming a volunteer Community First Responder with your local Ambulance Trust. A very rewarding position which certainly helps to safeguard your community.

We can advise on all the above points and acquire any equipment required at below average costs, including registering your defibrillator, indoor or outdoor, with the appropriate party.