Responding to the Dispatches programme broadcast on Channel 4 on Monday 13 October, Jason Killens, Chair of the Association of Ambulance Chief Executives (AACE), said:
“Last night’s Dispatches programme has once again highlighted the intense and ongoing pressures facing ambulance services across the UK. We recognise that viewers may be concerned by the issues raised, particularly where patient experiences have not met the high standards that ambulance services strive to uphold.
“We want to reassure the public that ambulance services are learning organisations that apply the duty of candour principles to their improvement work and remain committed to learning from every instance where care has fallen short. We continuously seek to strengthen our response and improve outcomes for patients.
“It is important to recognise that these pressures are largely driven by wider system challenges, including gaps in social care, primary care, and rising demand across the health and care system. These factors can combine to cause delays that no ambulance professional ever wants to see, and which we work tirelessly to mitigate.
“We are immensely proud of our control centre teams across the UK, who manage over ten million 999 calls and millions more 111 calls each year. Their dedication and professionalism save countless lives and deliver vital clinical interventions to tens of thousands of patients every day.”
Anna Parry, Managing Director of AACE, added:
“In June, the ambulance sector welcomed NHS England’s Urgent and Emergency Care Plan for 2025/26, which rightly places ambulance services at the heart of system-wide transformation. The plan calls for bold, collaborative change across health and social care, and AACE is actively engaging with partners to drive this forward – ensuring services remain responsive, resilient and sustainable.
“Despite the challenges, recent performance data shows steady improvements in ambulance response times over the past four years. We continue to reach the vast majority of patients who need us most as quickly as possible, while also supporting those who can be safely treated through alternative pathways such as urgent care centres, same day emergency care or with remote clinical advice where clinically safe and appropriate.
“Ambulance leaders remain focused on innovation and collaboration, working with system partners and within their own services to deliver the transformation outlined in the NHS plan and to ensure patients receive timely, appropriate and high-quality care.”
