Ambulance data reveals variation in survival rates

Breakdown of survival rates of those treated for life-threatening conditions by paramedics released Treatment times and survival rates for heart attacks, cardiac arrest and stroke victims vary by region, according to new figures outlining the performance of ambulance trusts. The statistics reveal that the survival rate for patients resuscitated by ambulance staff after an unwitnessed cardiac arrest varied from 0% for those treated by the Isle of Wight Healthcare NHS Trust to 12% of patients attended to by North West Ambulance Service NHS Trust. The national average rate was 6%. It is the first time a breakdown of clinical outcomes at different ambulance trusts has been published. The statistics – relating to ambulance treatment and outcomes in April this year – take a number of clinical quality indicators into account. The data showed that nationally, 90.8% of heart attack patients eligible for primary angioplasty received the treatment within 150 minutes. For patients treated by North West Ambulance Service NHS Trust the same timeframe was achieved in 82.3% of cases, compared with Great Western Ambulance Service NHS Trust which achieved 97.6%. Nationally, 66.2% of suspected stroke patients who were assessed face-to-face arrived at a hyperacute stroke centre within 60 minutes. Regionally, that figure varied from 0% in the Isle of Wight to 90.9% for patients treated by the North East Ambulance Service NHS Trust. The proportion of suspected stroke patients assessed face-to-face who received an appropriate care bundle varied from 84% to 100%, with a national average of 91.3%. The Department of Health said the figures would be used as a tool to identify areas in need of improvement, but stressed that it was too soon to draw conclusions from a month sample. The results could also be affected by trusts’ differing patient numbers and case mix, a spokeswoman said. The health secretary, Andrew Lansley, said: “Transparency is at the heart of our plans to modernise the NHS. We know that it can be a powerful tool to help improve services, foster innovation and empower patients and clinicians. “The data published for the first time today shows that there is variation in the results for patients across the country. “By making this information available we are giving the NHS the tools to identify areas where they can improve and take action. Patients should be able to expect a 24/7 accessible and safe emergency care service. I expect all ambulance trusts, commissioners and the wider NHS to look at the data for their region and work towards reaching the levels of the best.” Professor Matthew Cooke, National Clinical Director for Emergency and Urgent Care said: “Publishing patient outcomes is vital in order to identify areas in need of improvements across the whole emergency care system. “The new ambulance quality indicators offer an opportunity to ensure that we always strive to improve services for patients. It also provides patients with crucial information about their local services.” NHS Health guardian.co.uk

Posted by on September 2, 2011. Filed under News, Politics, World News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.