New Data Assesses Survival Rates And Treatment Times

A medical negligence specialist at Irwin Mitchell has urged that all patients have access to the best possible treatment from ambulance trusts, following the release of new figures highlighting a regional variation in care.

New data has revealed treatment times and survival rates for patients in relation to a range of conditions, including heart attack, cardiac arrest and stroke.

It found that the national average survival rate for patients resuscitated by ambulance staff after a cardiac arrest was six per cent, although rates ranged from zero per cent in the Isle of Wight to 12 per cent in the north-west.

In addition, differences were also seen in the number of heart attack and stroke patients receiving treatment between the required timeframe of 150 and 60 minutes respectively.

Mandy Luckman, a Partner and medical negligence expert at Irwin Mitchell’s Birmingham office, said: “Patients deserve to be given reassurances that they will receive the highest standard of care regardless of their location in the country.

“It is welcome that the government is being transparent on the quality of its services by providing such information. Unfortunately, it does suggest that some people may face a kind of postcode lottery when it comes to treatment times and survival rates in relation to ambulance services.

“A number of our cases have shown the devastating consequences that the NHS’s failure to meet standards when it comes to treatment can have and it is vital that every effort is made to improve the services available so that all patients can be guaranteed they will receive both effective and timely treatment.”