AMBULANCE crews have hit emergency response time targets yet again despite a huge rise in the number of 999 calls.East Anglian Ambulance Trust hit Government targets to reach life-threatening calls within eight minutes during December despite what is traditionally a hectic time of year.

By Jessica Nicholls

AMBULANCE crews have hit emergency response time targets yet again despite a huge rise in the number of 999 calls.

East Anglian Ambulance Trust hit Government targets to reach life-threatening calls within eight minutes during December despite what is traditionally a hectic time of year.

Emergency calls rose from 10,691 in December 2001 to 11,996 last month which is a rise of more than 12 per cent.

Yet the percentage of life-threatening calls reached within the critical eight minutes increased from just 53.99 per cent last December to 75.68 per cent this time - which equates to an additional 1,614 patients suffering from life-threatening conditions receiving medical help within eight minutes.

Also just over 95 per cent of all 999 calls were reached within 19 minutes, up from 93.55 per cent last December. The government target is 95 per cent.

Paul Sutton, director of operations, paid tribute to all ambulance staff for maintaining performance above the standard at what is traditionally the busiest time of year.

He said: "With Christmas and part of New Year's Eve, December is always a hectic month, with poor driving conditions, and it's a great credit to the staff that they're still performing to this level.

"The staff are continuing to prove that they can perform well while adapting to the modernisation agenda which has swept through the ambulance service in the past couple of years."