FOI 25-343 Response Times in Inverclyde
Freedom of Information Request
- Reference
- FOI 25-343 Response Times in Inverclyde
- Request Date
- 08 Aug 2025
- Response Date
- 26 Aug 2025
- Information Requested
Hello, I’m looking to find out about response times to calls by the Scottish Ambulance Service in Inverclyde over the last five years by postcode area. I would like to be provided with the following information for 2020/21, 2021/22, 2022/23, 2023/24, and 2024/25, for each postcode area in Inverclyde:
- The total number of Purple Category calls attended within the allocated time.
- The total number of Purple Category calls that took longer than the allocated time to attend.
- The total number of Red Category calls attended within the allocated time.
- The total number of Red Category calls that took longer than the allocated time to attend.
- The total number of Amber Category calls attended within the allocated time.
- The total number of Amber Category calls that took longer than the allocated time to attend.
- The total number of Yellow Category calls attended within the allocated time.
- The total number of Yellow Category calls that took longer than the allocated time to attend.
- Could I receive the average waiting time or each colour category.
- Could I receive the longest time a Purple Category call had to wait for an ambulance in Inverclyde in 2023/24 and 2024/25.
- Response
The Scottish Ambulance Service does not have ‘allocated times’ to answer each call, it is for this reason we have applied section 17 of the Freedom of Information Scotland Act 2002, as information not held.
Please see the attached sheet detailing the number of incidents attended in Inverclyde for each colour category, along with the average response times for each year requested. The second tab details the longest response time for a purple call incident.
Please note: the response times show total time and do not factor in possible upgrading or downgrading that may occur depending on the patient condition. For example, a call may start out as a yellow call, subsequently be upgraded to a purple call some time later, but only the total time from the first call received is shown. The starting point is always set for the colour category first determined, not the final colour category assigned. Where delays occur, clinical advisors maintain contact with the patient, checking their condition on an ongoing basis, and upgrading when appropriate.
For the given data, you will see that some of the figures are shown as, five or less than five, please note that this figure has been suppressed because the statistical value is less than five. The Scottish Ambulance service has a duty, under the Data Protection Act to avoid directly or indirectly revealing any personal details. It is therefore widely understood that provision of statistics on small numbers, five or less are statistically suppressed upon disclosure. It is for this reason we have also not broken the information into genders, the figures were too small to report.
- Response Documents
