The Welsh Government's Health Minister says attempts have been made to improve the handover of patients from ambulance to hospital since the death of a Monmouth woman last year.

Assistant Deputy Coroner Wayne Griffiths sent a 'Rule 43' letter to the Welsh Ambulance Service following the inquest of Jacqueline Davies in November last year.

Ms Davies collapsed outside her home in January 2011 and had to wait more than 40 minutes for an ambulance before she was transferred to Nevill Hall Hospital.

Mr Griffiths recorded a narrative verdict in which he said ambulance service delays "may have contributed" to Ms Davies' death.

He also sent a 'Rule 43' letter to the Welsh Ambulance Service, something coroners have the power to do if they believe action should be taken to prevent future deaths.

Ms Griffiths, the Minister for Health and Social Services, said in her response that "the issue of safe and efficient handover of patients between Welsh Ambulance Service crews and Emergency Department staff and the delivery of effective ambulance services are key priorities for the Welsh Government".

She said a number of actions had "been delivered over the past 12 months to improve handover processes with the objective of reducing lengthy delays".

These include an email alert system in which health board executives are immediately notified of patient handover delays of more than 30 minutes. Chief executives are alerted to any patients waiting more than an hour.

At the inquest, reference was made to the lack of a cross-border agreement between the Welsh Ambulance Service and its English counterparts.

Ms Griffiths says the Welsh Ambulance Service and West Midlands Ambulance Service have signed a "Memorandum of Understanding regarding cross border requests for emergency medical assistance".

It is hoped the North West and Great Western ambulance services will also sign similar agreements.

Ms Davies' son, Mathew, says a reply from the Department for Health to a letter sent by him fails to address any of the issues raised at a public meeting in January.

The meeting, organised by Mr Davies, was a chance for members of the public, ambulance service bosses and local paramedics to air their view on Monmouth Ambulance Station.

The Welsh Government's letter to Mr Davies says the Welsh Ambulance Service NHS Trust "is responsible for planning, funding and managing ambulance services across Wales, including decisions about the location of ambulance stations and services".

It also says ambulance performance across Monmouthshire has improved over the past 12 months but gives no figures.