Ambulance Quality Indicators

The Ambulance Quality Indicators (AQIs) were introduced in April 2011 for all ambulance services in England and look at the quality of care provided as well as the speed of response to patients.

The AQIs are ambulance specific and are concerned with patient safety and outcomes.  They are designed to be consistent with measures in other parts of the NHS, most notably those from emergency departments. They comprise the System Indicators and the Clinical Outcomes.

The statistics for all ambulance services are updated monthly: https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/ambulance-quality-indicators/

Constantly monitoring our performance is essential as it is a vital indicator of how well we respond to patients’ needs and how we can maintain and improve our standards of care.

Ambulance Response Programme - New Ambulance Response Standards

Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust (YAS) was one of the first English ambulance trusts to participate in the Ambulance Response Programme (ARP) pilot, led by NHS England, when it began in October 2015.  The Trust has continued to be involved through all phases of the pilot which has allowed extra time for our emergency call handlers to make a more detailed analysis of some 999 calls and to decide upon the most appropriate response for patients’ needs.

It was a great opportunity for the Trust to be involved in the ARP when it started in October 2015 as it allowed our staff to make a full contribution to the pilot and help shape the recommendations for changes to ambulance response standards.

The four categories of response are as follows:

Further information is available at: https://www.england.nhs.uk/urgent-emergency-care/arp/