Powys ambulance response times improve

Ambulance response times to 999 calls in Powys are running at their best ever, it was revealed today.

John Howard, chief officer for the Montgomeryshire Community Health Council, said response times for May had improved, with 56.5 per cent of calls being reached within eight minutes compared to 47.8 per cent in April.

He was commenting on official figures detailing response times to emergencies in Powys.

He said: "Ambulance response times in Powys are getting a lot better and although no official figures for June have been released yet I've been told that 63.2 per cent of calls were reached within eight minutes, which would make it the best figures for Powys ever.

"The Welsh Ambulance Service has been working its socks off and I think they need to be applauded, and not criticised, for the work they are trying to do.

"Responding to emergencies in Powys will always be a problem because it's a rural area, but these figures are fantastic."