Ambulance call took six minutes

The call centre takes 1,100 calls on an average day

An ambulance trust has admitted call centre staff took six minutes to answer a telephone call.

A trust spokesman said the call to the West Midlands Ambulance centre in Brierley Hill, Dudley, was made during a busy period on the evening of 18 May.

He said: "Clearly, this is something we are concerned about."

West Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Trust has since taken on 32 new call centre staff and June figures show 98% of calls were answered in five seconds.

The delay in answering the call had no repercussions for the patient, he said.

High demand

The trust spokesman said demand for services on 18 May, a Friday, had been high.

"There is no particular reason why, it just sometimes happens," he said.

"There is one call that took six minutes to be answered and that is something we are concerned about.

"But on an average day, Brierley Hill takes 1,100 calls.

"In that month, 17 calls were not answered within two minutes. That's 17 calls out of about 35,000.

"It is not good, but I think that gives it some perspective."

'Chance lost'

There was also staff sickness on that evening so there were fewer people in than normal, he said.

The ambulance service is looking at closing two of its call centres, Shrewsbury and Worcester, and expanding its Brierley Hill centre.

Mr MacGregor says it is hoped that will help calls to be answered more efficiently.

Roger Thayne, the former chief executive of Staffordshire Ambulance Service, said the delay could have been fatal.

He said: "Every minute you delay, if it's a life-threatening emergency such as a cardiac arrest, you lose 15% of the chance of saving a life.

"So if you haven't answered that call in six minutes, never mind got to the patient, then 90% of the chance of saving the life has been lost."