PEOPLE in Cumbria who called an ambulance in 2023 had to wait longer for it to arrive than they did in 2019.

Figures for so-called 'category 1' (the most serious cases) and 'category 2' (which can include strokes and heart attacks) calls show that response times for the North West Ambulance Service in Cumbria have risen over the past five years.

In Cumbria, the average waiting times for category 2 calls - which should be responded to in an average of 18 minutes - were, in hours, minutes, and seconds:

  • 2019 - 00:16:09
  • 2020 - 00:15:41
  • 2021 - 00:19:40
  • 2022 - 00:23:54
  • 2023 - 00:21:44

However, the 'longest wait' times in this category have also grown. In one instance in 2022, the figures show, an ambulance took 23 hours 11 minutes to respond to a category 2 callout.

It's a similar picture nationwide. The data, obtained via a Freedom of Information request submitted to all ten ambulance trusts in England by the Liberal Democrat party, showed all but one local area missed the target for category 2 calls, which can include strokes or heart attacks.

Across the 165 local areas which provided full data, nine in ten - or 152 - had seen response times for category 2 calls increase since 2019. 13 local areas had seen the average response time for category 2 calls more than double.

For category 1, the most serious classification for call-outs defined as 'for life-threatening injuries and illnesses', 173 of 194 local areas failed to meet the target response time of seven minutes last year.

In the northeast and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board area, the average waiting times for a category 1 call year on year showed an increase of more than a minute from five years ago: 

  • 2019 - 00:08:30
  • 2020 - 00:08:12
  • 2021 - 00:09:20
  • 2022 - 00:09:34
  • 2023 - 00:09:46

The longest callout time for an incident in this category was more than three hours, in 2023.

A spokesperson from the Northwest Ambulance Service (NWAS) said: “Ambulance response times in north Cumbria compare very well with regional averages, despite the challenges we face regarding the remote communities we serve and the landscape.

“Furthermore, we are seeing improvements across the northwest thanks to working with healthcare partners and increasing the number of vehicles and staff.

“The NHS as a whole has faced growing pressure, particularly during the winter months, which has, in turn, affected our ability to respond as quickly as we would like in some cases, but we are pleased to see this starting to improve.”

The Lib Dem spokesperson for health and social care, Daisy Cooper MP, said: “This Conservative government has overseen the complete decimation of local NHS services.

“We urgently need investment in our ambulance services."