Following the largest ambulance clinical trials in the world, NHS England implemented a new ambulance response standards across the country – this is known as the Ambulance Response Programme (ARP).

The new standards were introduced in SECAmb on 22 November 2017.

The categories are as follows:

CategoryResponseAverage response time
Category 1For calls to people with immediately life-threatening and time critical injuries and illnesses.These will be responded to in a mean average time of seven minutes and at least 9 out of 10 times before 15 minutes.
Category 2For emergency calls. Stroke patients will fall into this category and will get to hospital or a specialist stroke unit quicker because we can send the most appropriate vehicle first time.These will be responded to in a mean average time of 18 minutes and at least 9 out of 10 times before 40 minutes.
Category 3for urgent calls. In some instances, patients in this category may be treated by ambulance staff in their own home. These types of calls will be responded to at least 9 out of 10 times before 120 minutesThese types of calls will be responded to at least 9 out of 10 times before 120 minutes.
Category 4for less urgent calls. In some instances, patients may be given advice over the telephone or referred to another service such as a GP or pharmacist.These less urgent calls will be responded to at least 9 out of 10 times before 180 minutes

To help everyone understand how the new standards will work, NHS England has produced some videos to explain the new categories.

Related Links

NHS England has created an easy to read document to explain ambulance response standards and the reason behind the changes. The new standards were introduced following the world's largest clinical ambulance pilot, carried out by academics at the University of Sheffield.