New programme to improve ambulance response times in Jersey

Call handlers will ask anyone who calls 999 a set of questions to determine how serious the call is. Credit: ITV Channel Television

A new, streamlined process for handling 999 calls is being introduced in Jersey, aiming to get ambulances out to people who need them more quickly.

The Ambulance Response Programme will see officers in the emergency services' control room will use a set of questions to measure the seriousness of an incident, allowing them to identify high-risk patients more quickly.

If a patient is deemed to be in an immediately life-threatening situation, the service will be able to dispatch a faster medical response.

The change will also give call handlers more time to assess 999 calls that may not need an ambulance, so they can send the most appropriate care to the patient straight away.

It is hoped that paramedics can have fewer late shifts and disturbed rest periods as a result of the new system.