SOUTH Central Ambulance Service (SCAS) got a lower percentage of stroke patients to hospital within an hour than any other ambulance service in England last year.

The figures were revealed yesterday by independent healthcare regulator Care Quality Commission (CQC), which carried out a routine inspection of SCAS.

They relate to all four counties covered by SCAS – Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Hampshire and Oxfordshire – in 2014.

The service was also ranked 11th for the number of heart attack patients who received appropriate care.

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But SCAS was ranked in first place for the number of patients who regained spontaneous circulation by the time they arrived at hospital.

And more SCAS patients who survived a heart attack went on to be discharged from hospital than those treated by any other ambulance service.

The CQC report said SCAS staff were caring and compassionate and treated patients with dignity and respect.

Patients told CQC their experience of care and treatment was good.

But the report said SCAS must make sure staff get appropriate training on dementia care and learning disabilities and that appropriate treatment is available for transporting children in ambulances.

SCAS hit its targets for the amount of time it took for an ambulance to respond to the most serious emergency calls.

Paramedics attended red 1 calls, the most serious calls, and red 2 calls, the second most serious category, within eight minutes in 75 per cent of cases.

An ambulance capable of transporting a patient to hospital arrived within 19 minutes in 95 per cent of cases.

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