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Clinical quality indicators

Information about the Ambulance Clinical Quality Indicators.

A system of performance statistics is available for all ambulance services. Monitoring our performance is essential as it is a vital indicator of how well we respond to patient need and how we ensure standards of care are maintained and improved. 

Unlike previous measures, the Ambulance clinical quality indicators measure more than just response times; they look more broadly at the overall quality of care. 

Time is still measured as it is a significant risk factor for treating patients – response time targets for the most seriously ill patients remain the same.  

Since 2011, all ambulance services are measured against a number of clinical quality indicators which allow them to be compared to other services.

  • This measures the speed of all ambulance responses to a patient and is recorded as a mean target. 

    Details of London Ambulance Service response times are published monthly by NHSE.

    Ambulance Quality Indicators (NHS.UK)

  • This indicator will ensure that we and other ambulance services are not having problems with people phoning 999 and not being able to get through.

  • Patients aged 65 and older who have fallen less than 2 metres and do not need to be taken to hospital receive a nationally recognised bundle of care from ambulance clinicians.

  • The number of patients suffering an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (heart stopped) who were resuscitated by ambulance clinicians and survived for at least 30 days after the event.

  • Any patient whose heart starts beating again (known as a return of spontaneous circulation – ROSC) following an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest will receive a nationally recognised Post ROSC Care Bundle to ensure appropriate ongoing care until arrival at hospital.

  • This indicator monitors the number of patients who suffer an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (heart stopped) and are successfully resuscitated, with their heart restarting and continuing to beat until handover at hospital.

  • All ambulance services will need to demonstrate how they find out what people think of the service they offer (including the results of focus groups and interviews) and how we are acting on that information to continuously improve patient care.

  • The gold standard treatment for STEMI patients is primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PPCI), carried out at a specialist centre. This is a procedure to insert a stent (plastic bridge) into the artery to remove the blockage and keep the artery open. Ambulance clinicians aim to transport all suspected STEMI patients to the nearest specialist centre in a timely manner. This indicator measures the time from emergency call to the start of treatment at the specialist centre.

  • ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) is a type of heart attack caused by a sudden blockage of the blood supply to the heart. Patients with a suspected STEMI will receive a nationally recognised bundle of care from ambulance clinicians.

  • Where stroke is suspected, patients are rapidly transported to the nearest Hyper Acute Stroke Unit (HASU) for specialist assessment and treatment. This indicator measures the time from the emergency call to the patient’s arrival at hospital.

  • It equally important that if people/patients dial 999 that they get call answered quickly. This indicator will therefore measure how quickly all 999 calls that we receive get answered 

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