TARGETS are still not being met for ambulance waiting times across large parts of the district, a new health report shows.

The Yorkshire Ambulance Service is still not managing to get enough ambulances to emergencies within the crucial first eight minutes, the district’s three NHS clinical commissioning groups (CCGs), which plan, buy and monitor local health services, have said.

The report says that in the most serious cases, three-quarters of ambulances should be arriving within eight minutes. but this target is only being met in the Bradford City area.

In Airedale, Wharfedale and Craven, only 56 per cent of ambulances get to the scene within this time and in Bradford Districts - which covers areas such as Bingley, Shipley, Saltaire, Heaton and Tong - only 69 per cent of ambulances meet the eight-minute target.

The report says: “The ambulance waiting times standards continue not to be met by the Yorkshire Ambulance Service at the provider level overall. They are also not being achieved for Bradford Districts CCG or Airedale, Wharfedale and Craven CCG populations.”

Now the GP-led CCG in Airedale, Wharfedale and Craven has started buying life-saving defibrillators for rural areas where paramedics are struggling to get to patients quickly - and the idea could be rolled out if it proves a success.

The report says: “To support improvement of ambulance response times in areas where it is a challenge to meet them, Airedale, Wharfedale and Craven CCG has invested in a number of defibrillators to provide 24-hour access for the communities in which they are sited.

“These have been placed where there is high footfall from local residents, in rural areas and in other places that can be hard to reach during rush hour.

“If this improves response times and outcomes for patients, it can be considered across other areas in the Bradford district.”

Yorkshire Ambulance Service did not respond to requests for a comment..

The new report, part of the CCGs’ annual update, will be discussed by the district’s health and social care overview and scrutiny committee when it next meets at Bradford’s City Hall at 4.30pm on Thursday.

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