Latest news with #NHSPerformanceandProductivity
Cambrian News
06-07-2025
- Health
- Cambrian News
New Deputy Chief Medical Officer for Wales appointed
Dr Calvert will also become the National Clinical Director for NHS Performance and Improvement – this fulfils the Welsh Government's response to a recommendation made by the Ministerial Advisory Group on NHS Performance and Productivity.
Leader Live
30-06-2025
- Health
- Leader Live
Ambulance services in Wales to introduce 'purple' category
From July 1, the Welsh Ambulance Service will introduce a new 'purple' category for people experiencing out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. The red category will continue to cover life-threatening emergencies involving high risk of cardiac or respiratory arrest. Jason Killens, chief executive of the Welsh Ambulance Service, said: "Since 1974, the ambulance service has been measured by the time it takes to reach emergency calls. "The ambulance service of today provides much more sophisticated care, so shifting the focus to how many people survive a life-or-death emergency because of our interventions, rather than how many minutes it takes us to arrive, is an important step to reflect that." The new system is aimed at improving survival rates for out-of-hospital cardiac arrests in Wales, which currently stand at less than five per cent. It follows a recommendation from the Senedd's Health and Social Care Committee, which found the existing ambulance response target no longer fit for purpose. From July 1, ambulances will be dispatched as quickly as possible to calls in the new purple category. This covers suspected cardiac and respiratory arrests. The red category will continue to include cases involving serious injury or illness. The expectation is that ambulances will reach these calls within an average of six to eight minutes. For purple calls, the primary measure of success will be the percentage of people who have a heartbeat restored and maintained until arrival at the hospital. Jeremy Miles, cabinet secretary for health and social care, said: "We're taking decisive action to save more lives. "Until now, cardiac arrests have been categorised in the same way as less critical problems like breathing difficulties. "This new approach ensures ambulance teams prioritise people with the most urgent needs. "This targeted clinical response, combined with wider access to defibrillators in the community and improvements to hospital handovers, represents our commitment to improving survival rates." Under the new model, all calls not classified as purple or red will undergo rapid clinical screening to ensure a more tailored response based on symptoms and location. The goal is to provide the most appropriate care for each individual, rather than a one-size-fits-all approach. Efforts are also underway to reduce ambulance handover times at hospitals. The Welsh Government is developing a plan to achieve a maximum 45-minute handover time, as recommended by the Ministerial Advisory Group on NHS Performance and Productivity. NHS organisations have been given clear targets to improve handovers, supported by a national taskforce focused on emergency department processes and patient flow. READ MORE: Coronation Street's Janice and Leanne Battersby appear in Superman film promo From July, the Welsh Ambulance Service will also host the NHS Wales Save a Life Cymru programme. This programme promotes CPR awareness and aims to improve access to defibrillators in the community. There are currently more than 8,500 registered public access defibrillators across Wales. The Welsh Government has provided £500,000 for an additional 500 Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) to be placed in community locations. This investment is part of a broader strategy to improve survival rates for people who experience cardiac arrest outside of hospital.
Cambrian News
29-04-2025
- Health
- Cambrian News
NHS Wales 'in need of urgent attention and turnaround', review finds
A report by the by the Ministerial Advisory Group on NHS Performance and Productivity, which was set up in October to look at the effectiveness of current NHS Wales arrangements, gave a slew of recommendations to improve performance as it warned that 'the health and care system in Wales faces a major challenge.'
