999 target not being met

Lives are being put at risk as ambulances in Wales struggle to hit emergency response times, it was claimed today.

A report said 47.6 per cent of category A emergency calls were answered inside the target of eight minutes in December.

The target for the service is 75 per cent.

More recently that figure rose to 65 per cent, but Welsh Assembly audit committee chairman Jonathan Morgan said not enough progress was being made.

He said: "The committee is concerned targets design- ed to ensure a prompt response to emergency 999 calls are not being met consistently and, at times, performance falls well below the required level.

"The committee is also concerned performance has been adversely affected by the ambulance trust's efforts to make efficiency savings." Mr Morgan added: "For the patient in the community awaiting a response to a 999 call, the situation could be fatal."

The Welsh Ambulance Service NHS Trust has said the unexpected cold snap last December put extra pressure on health services – a claim dismissed by the committee as unacceptable.

Among the committee's recommendations to the Assembly Government are plans to ensure predictable seasonal variations are better managed in winter.

A Welsh Assembly Government spokesman said: "This report looked at the performance between June 2008 and January 2009 and there have been sustained improvements in the performance across Wales since the end of February 2009."