The Isle of Wight’s Ambulance Service has been officially rated as the best in the country.
As the only service in England to have achieved all of its targets set by the Healthcare Commission, the Island’s team has been recognised after the introduction of numerous initiatives to ensure the public receive the best possible care.
The annual healthcare checks monitor national standards of performance and service. Call response times, infection control and taking the NHS to the patient are just some of the measures used by the Commission to arrive at an overall performance rating for Trusts. In spite of the rural setting and isolated nature of the Island – presenting unique challenges to the ambulance service in meeting the targets – the service has a response time of just 8 minutes to reach a life threatening Category A call anywhere on the Island.
Ambulance Director of Operations, David Arnold commented on the findings saying “The staff have responded extremely well to the challenges we face – we are the only team out of 31 Ambulance Trusts across England to have achieved a singularly outstanding goal of being simply the best in the country.”