Welsh Ambulance Service changes response to cardiac arrests from July 1
The Welsh Ambulance Service will introduce a new purple category for suspected out-of-hospital cardiac arrests from Tuesday 1 July, separating these cases from the existing red category of life-threatening emergencies.
The new purple category will focus on people suffering cardiac and respiratory arrest outside hospital, while the red category remains for other life-threatening emergencies including those at high risk of cardiac or respiratory arrest due to illness or trauma.
The change aims to ensure more targeted and life-saving ambulance care, improving survival rates from out-of-hospital cardiac arrests in Wales, which currently stand at less than 5%.
Jeremy Miles, Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care, said: “Until now, cardiac arrests have been categorised in the same way as less critical problems like breathing difficulties. This new approach ensures ambulance teams prioritise people with the most urgent needs.”
The focus will shift from response times to outcomes. Ambulances will still aim to respond to purple and red calls within an average of six to eight minutes. However, success will be measured by the percentage of patients who have their heartbeat restored before hospital arrival.
Jason Killens, Chief Executive of the Welsh Ambulance Service, said: “Shifting the focus to how many people survive a life-or-death emergency because of our interventions, rather than how many minutes it takes us to arrive, is an important step.”
All other calls will undergo rapid clinical screening to provide a more tailored response based on symptoms and incident location.
The changes also include improvements to hospital ambulance handover times, aiming to reduce delays and improve ambulance availability in the community. NHS Wales has set a target of a maximum 45-minute handover time, supported by a national clinically-led taskforce.
From July, the Welsh Ambulance Service will also lead the NHS Wales Save a Life Cymru programme to promote CPR awareness and increase access to defibrillators. More than 8,500 public access defibrillators are already registered across Wales, with a new government investment of £500,000 to supply 500 additional devices in communities.
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