Darren Millar
Commenting on figures published this morning showing Labour’s ambulance response time target has been missed for the 21st time in 22 months, with just 56.7% of ambulances responding to an immediately life-threatening call within eight minutes, Darren Millar AM, Shadow Minister for Health and Social Services, said:
“The national scandal continues. These figures are yet more evidence of Carwyn Jones’ abysmal failure to meet key NHS performance targets.
“Under Labour, Wales has the UK’s lowest ambulance response time target and even that is being habitually missed.
“Labour’s legacy of record-breaking budget cuts has seen a fifth of NHS beds axed, concerns about standards of patient care and hospitals closured and downgraded.
“Overwhelmed A&E units prevent ambulances from transferring patients efficiently, which then make it impossible for paramedics to meet ambulance response time targets.
“Rather than invest in our hospitals and primary care services, Labour’s response to missed targets is to consider scrapping targets altogether and consult on changing the name of ambulances to Welsh emergency medical service vehicles – it’s not good enough.
“An urgent response to immediately life-threatening 999 calls makes the difference between life and death and persistent under-performance on Carwyn Jones’ watch is not acceptable.”
