Joan Corcoran
20 Jun 2023 · Coroner Alison Mutch · Manchester South
This report repeats 3 earlier warnings, and was raised again 3 times later. See the linked reports.
The coroner's concerns
1. category 2 ambulance response delays
“under the Department of Health's Ambulance Response time criteria, a category 2 call should have an average response time of 18 minutes and be within 40 minutes in 9 out of 10 cases”
Linked reports
Closely relatedConfidence 0.80 · moderate
Earlier report
“The target time for the arrival of the ambulance was 8 minutes, this was breached. The ambulance did not arrive for 15 minutes”
This report
“The inquest heard evidence that under the Department of Health's Ambulance Response time criteria, a category 2 call should have an average response time of 18 minutes and be within 40 minutes in 9 out of 10 cases.”
Closely relatedConfidence 0.90 · high
Earlier report
“I heard evidence that NWAS failed to meet target times which are nationally set by the Department of Health”
This report
“under the Department of Health's Ambulance Response time criteria, a category 2 call should have an average response time of 18 minutes and be within 40 minutes in 9 out of 10 cases.”
Identical hazardConfidence 0.90 · high
Earlier report
“Notwithstanding the steps North West Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust has taken via its patient safety plan to manage and respond to demands on its service, it is a matter of concern that target response times are still routinely not being met nationally.”
This report
“The inquest heard evidence that under the Department of Health's Ambulance Response time criteria, a category 2 call should have an average response time of 18 minutes and be within 40 minutes in 9 out of 10 cases.”
Identical hazardConfidence 0.90 · high
This report
“under the Department of Health's Ambulance Response time criteria, a category 2 call should have an average response time of 18 minutes”
Later report
“The ambulance response time of 3 hours and 18 minutes has likely affected the outcome.”
Closely relatedConfidence 0.90 · high
This report
“The evidence before the inquest was that in her case the response time on the category 2 call was 1 hour and 5 minutes - significantly outside the target time.”
Later report
“although I did hear that it is not uncommon for around 30% of available ambulances to still be held up at hospitals in our area waiting for a handover.”
Identical hazardConfidence 0.90 · high
This report
“under the Department of Health's Ambulance Response time criteria, a category 2 call should have an average response time of 18 minutes and be within 40 minutes in 9 out of 10 cases”
Later report
“Mr. [name redacted]' case was correctly assigned a Category 2 disposition, for which the mean response time is 18 minutes, and the 90th percentile response time is 40 minutes;”
Responses
2023-0197-Response-from-Department-of-Health-and-Social-Care.pdf ↗· Department of Health and Social Care
Stated action · March 2025
“we published our 'Delivery plan for recovering urgent and emergency care services' which aims to deliver sustained improvements in waiting times”