Further changes to the way 999 calls to the Welsh Ambulance
Service are managed will come into force from Tuesday 2 December.
These changes will enable the ambulance service to quickly
identify and respond to people with a range of serious,
time-sensitive conditions like suspected stroke and heart
attacks, which need to be prioritised.
New “Orange Now”, “Yellow Soon” and “Green Planned” categories
will replace the existing Amber and Green categories.
This builds on the “Purple Arrest” and “Red Emergency”
categories, which were introduced in July for the most
life-threatening calls.
From Tuesday, when someone calls 999 in an emergency there will
be five new ambulance response categories:
-
Purple Arrest – for people experiencing a
cardiac or respiratory arrest who need an ambulance
immediately.
-
Red Emergency – for people at high risk of a
cardiac or respiratory arrest, for example, someone who is
choking, who needs help immediately.
-
Orange Now – for serious conditions, which
need face-to-face clinical assessment, tests and transfer to
hospital or specialist care – for example, someone with
symptoms suggestive of a stroke or heart attack.
-
Yellow Soon – for people who need to be
assessed first, either over the phone or face-to-face, before a
clinician determines the most appropriate next steps for their
care. For example, a person with abdominal pain, or non-serious
injury. People could stay at home following treatment, or the
ambulance service might arrange transport to a clinic or
hospital, depending on the most appropriate course of action
for their needs.
-
Green Planned – for less urgent calls, such as
someone with a mild infection. People could be treated safely
at home with the right care from local services.
The new model will categorise emergency calls by need, not only
ambulance response time, aiming to improve people's outcomes and
experiences.
People will be assessed using enhanced clinical triage to better
identify their clinical needs and people who need a faster
response and transport to the right healthcare facility will be
prioritised.
They will be matched to the most appropriate resource, whether
that's an emergency ambulance, an advanced paramedic practitioner
or alternatives, such as planned patient transport or self-care.
The changes are designed to safely reduce unnecessary hospital
admissions and support care closer to home where that is
clinically safe.
By tailoring responses to individual needs, people will receive
more timely and effective care.
Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care, said: “This new
ambulance response model is about making sure everyone gets the
right care for their complaint or condition.
“By improving clinical decision-making and introducing new
response categories, we will deliver better outcomes and
experiences for people across Wales.
“The new approach will be evaluated to ensure it is delivering
the improvements in patient care which we expect.
“We are seeing positive outcomes from the changes introduced in
July and we want to see this system save more lives and provide
better experiences for people across Wales."
Executive Director of Paramedicine at the Welsh Ambulance
Service, Andy Swinburn, said: “Calls to the Welsh
Ambulance Service have traditionally been categorised as Red,
Amber or Green, but it's become apparent these categories have
broadened over time, leading to an inefficient use of ambulance
resources.
“The current Amber category in particular – which represents
around 70% of total demand – doesn't allow for a more targeted
response to serious conditions like a stroke or a fractured hip,
which means that some patients wait far longer than any of us
would like.
“The nature of how people present to 999 has changed and it's
important to reflect this in the way we respond, first and
foremost to increase ambulance availability for those who truly
need it but also to ensure that people who can be cared for
closer to home get that opportunity.”
Notes to editors
Visit the Welsh Ambulance Service website for more information:
How our Service is
Changing
