High praise for Guernsey's ambulance service in new survey

Guernsey's ambulance service has been highly praised by islanders responding to a new survey.

More than 90% of those questioned said the overall service was "excellent" or "very good".

Meanwhile, 93% said the professionalism of the ambulance crew was either "very good" or "excellent".

The speed of response was the lowest aspect of the survey, with only 59% describing it as "excellent".

Dean de la Mare, Head of Operations, said: "There are a number of factors why some people feel the speed of the response may have been slower than they expected.

"999 calls are categorised to ensure the most serious calls are responded to immediately with blue lights and sirens, this means lower category calls will have a longer response time, however over 90% of the lower category of calls are responded to with the target time.

"Other factors include time of day and the amount of traffic, as well as the distance to the emergency."

Almost 2,000 people responded to the survey.

Dean de la Mare added: "The results of the survey are extremely positive, not only showing that the Guernsey public highly value the Emergency Ambulance Service, but also that our patients have received a high standard of care.

"This is particularly encouraging given demand for the ambulance service is at an all time high and last year was our busiest on record."