Welsh Ambulance Service Introduces New Stroke Response Category

The Welsh Government is introducing a new 'orange: time sensitive' ambulance response category to improve care and response times for patients suffering strokes and STEMI heart attacks, who were previously grouped into the broad 'amber' category covering 70% of 999 calls. This category aims to prioritize rapid clinical screening by nurses and paramedics to identify these time-sensitive conditions quickly and dispatch skilled ambulance clinicians to provide urgent care before hospital transport. Alongside the orange category, new 'yellow: assess and respond' and 'green: planned response' categories will replace the amber category, allowing more tailored care pathways based on patient needs. The changes, scheduled for implementation before winter 2025 as part of a new emergency ambulance performance framework, will also include monitoring of clinical care and response times for stroke and STEMI cases. Additionally, a pre-hospital video triage pilot at five Welsh stroke units enables real-time communication between ambulance clinicians and hospital specialists to enhance early diagnosis and treatment decisions. Health Secretary Jeremy Miles emphasized the urgency of timely stroke care, stating that every minute counts in saving lives and reducing disability.