Performance figures released by the Welsh Government indicate that ambulance response times throughout Gwent have improved.
According to the statistics, February saw 793 emergency calls categorised as red – the most critical classification representing situations with significant risk of cardiac or respiratory failure, encompassing both medical conditions and injuries.
Within the Aneurin Bevan University Health Board region, the median response interval for these critical calls stood at seven minutes and 58 seconds during February. The Welsh Government’s benchmark for such incidents is a response within six to eight minutes.
This February result represented a 24-second improvement compared to January’s performance of eight minutes and 22 seconds, when 1,053 red category calls were logged. It also surpassed the eight minute 43 second figure recorded in December 2025, which involved 1,119 emergency responses.
The latest month’s performance aligned with October’s achievement, when 828 red calls were logged, and exceeded the eight minute 14 second result from August (774 calls) and the eight minute 19 second figure from July when the revised call classification system was implemented (813 calls).
November remains the sole month when the ambulance service surpassed its February response time, achieving seven minutes 34 seconds across 882 calls.
The Welsh Government also monitors the 90th percentile metric, representing the threshold beyond which 10 per cent of responses took longer. The target specifies that 90 per cent of calls should receive an ambulance within 20 minutes.
In the Aneurin Bevan area, the 90th percentile for February reached 17 minutes 42 seconds, meaning most patients received assistance within this timeframe. However, the national picture fell short of the target, with 90 per cent of responses across Wales completed within 21 minutes and 45 seconds.
The health board achieved superior 90th percentile results during November, October and July of the previous year.
For purple category calls involving out-of-hospital cardiac arrest incidents, which also carry a six to eight minute response target, February delivered the strongest performance recorded in Gwent since the updated system commenced.
During February, 90 per cent of patients experiencing cardiac arrest received a response within 13 minutes and 16 seconds, compared to the all-Wales figure of 15 minutes and 30 seconds. The performance standard requires 90 per cent of such calls to receive an ambulance within 20 minutes.
The Aneurin Bevan board area’s February result represented a two and a half minute improvement over January. The prior record stood at 13 minutes 41 seconds, set in November.
When introducing the revised call categories, the Welsh Government designated the percentage of patients maintaining restored heart rhythm through to hospital arrival as the primary performance indicator for purple calls. This metric, termed ROSC (Return of Spontaneous Circulation), reflects approaches already adopted in Ireland, Scotland and Australia, where survival outcomes have shown improvement.
In Gwent during February, 23.3 per cent of patients experienced restoration and maintenance of heartbeat function until reaching hospital, though higher percentages were achieved in September, October and November, when the figure reached 26.2 per cent. The corresponding all-Wales figure for February was 21.4 per cent.
Labour Senedd candidate for Sir Fynwy Torfaen Anthony Hunt observed that February marked the ambulance service’s strongest response time performance.
He indicated that a new Welsh Labour administration would require health boards to develop transport strategies enhancing access routes to and from hospital facilities for non-urgent appointments, which he believes would reduce strain on services.
Conservative candidate for Sir Fynwy Torfaen Peter Fox recognised the improved response times while expressing continued concerns, stating that despite the health board’s relatively favourable statistics within Wales, performance remains well below acceptable standards, with only a 50-50 likelihood of receiving timely care.
Liberal Democrat candidate for the Casnewydd Islwyn constituency Mike Hamilton maintained that the ambulance service continues to experience severe difficulties. Like representatives from other parties, he suggested that resolving issues surrounding patients delayed in hospitals due to insufficient community care provision and ambulances queuing at emergency departments would help address response time concerns.
He contended that the typical official response, as seen previously, involved the Welsh Government adjusting benchmarks to appear compliant with targets, and that narrowing the definition of the most critical callouts does not constitute a genuine solution.
The Welsh Ambulance Service explained that the introduction of new call categories followed a recommendation from the Senedd’s Health and Social Care Committee, which determined that the previous ambulance response target, in place since 1974, was no longer suitable or appropriate.