High levels of satisfaction have again been recorded in our latest quarterly patient experience questionnaire.

The questionnaire, which covers the final three months of 2025, collected 311 responses with 90 per cent of respondents reporting that they were very satisfied or satisfied with the time taken to answer their call. A similar percentage (88 per cent) were very satisfied or satisfied with their initial contact with the call taker.

During the same three-month period, the Trust received 510 compliments from the public – up from 480 in 2024. Compliments often centred on the calm, caring and professional approach of the SECAmb team.

The questionnaire, which was first launched in October 2023 is available to complete all year round. It gathers feedback from patients as well as family members or carers who have witnessed the care and treatment given to patients. It can be accessed via QR codes inside ambulances or via the Trust’s website.

The questionnaire also showed that more than half of respondents (54 per cent) went on to speak with a clinician with 77 per cent happy with the time it took to receive a call back. Some 85 per cent were satisfied with the clinical advice they were given over the phone.

Where an ambulance attended, more than 90 per cent strongly agreed they were treated with dignity and respect by the ambulance crew and that the care organised or carried out by the crew was appropriate.

Head of Patient Engagement, Vikki Baldock, said: “We are pleased that the feedback gathered in our patient questionnaire continues to show a majority of patients are often very satisfied with the service they receive when they call 999. It is also pleasing to see how many compliments we continue to receive regarding the care patients receive.

“We recognise that there remain areas where we need to make improvements and we want to hear from anyone who has used our services recently so we can capture their feedback and ensure it is used to improve the care we provided.”

The survey can be accessed here: Patient Experience Questionnaire – NHS South East Coast Ambulance Service