AN Oxfordshire health boss has said proposals to let ambulances take longer to reach seriously ill patients are being considered.

South Central Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (SCAS) chief executive Will Hancock said he “acknowledged” the policy but that no decision had been made.

The changes put forward by the Association of Ambulance Chief Executives (AACE) would give ambulances responding to “Red 2” incidents – including strokes and seizures – a new 19-minute target to reach patients.

Current targets set by NHS England say an ambulance must reach patients within eight minutes.

SCAS spokeswoman Michelle Archer would not be drawn on whether Mr Hancock would back the proposals, because it was “too early to say”.

Our top stories

Mr Hancock’s comments came after he intially refused to respond to the Oxford Mail’s enquiries when first contacted in December.

Speaking of the proposals, Mr Hancock said: “We acknowledge that proposals outlined by AACE remain suggestions for all ambulance trusts in England.

“Current proposals are not SCAS-specific and therefore we are reviewing the impact and benefits for our patients.

“We’re clear that having additional time to get the response right first time should improve services to the most time-critical patients.

“But we also appreciate that no decisions will be made without approval from NHS England and the Secretary of State.”

A Department for Health spokeswoman said the Government had “absolutely no plans to double ambulance wait times”.

  Do you want alerts delivered straight to your phone via our WhatsApp service? Text NEWS or SPORT or NEWS AND SPORT, depending on which services you want, and your full name to 07767 417704. Save our number into your phone’s contacts as Oxford Mail WhatsApp and ensure you have WhatsApp installed.