WELSH Ambulance Service performance figures for October have been released with response times in Monmouthshire continuing to miss targets.

The target response time for a Category A emergency (immediately life-threatening) is for an ambulance to be on scene within eight minutes.

Nationally, the target is that this time should be achieved 65 per cent of the time, while at a local level, that figure sits at 60 per cent.

The latest set of statistics show that, last month, the service in Monmouthshire responded within the target time 46.5 per cent of the time, putting it third from bottom in the regional league table for Wales.

Only three regions were above the national target of 65 per cent while the average for Wales fell short at 55.5 per cent.

The statistics also show that the times have deteriorated compared to October 2013 by 10 per cent.

The latest figures come at a time when the Welsh Ambulance Trust is considering revising its rotas within Monmouthshire.

This would see the first response vehicle available 24 hours a day while the ambulance would be taken off-line between 3am and 6am.

The changes are being backed by paramedics as the first response vehicle is ringfenced for Mon- mouth and would increase its availability within the town as it is currently stood down between 3am and 7.30am.

The ambulance is currently available 24 hours a day but the Beacon understands it is despatched all over the region and beyond, making it harder for paramedics to meet response times.

Mike Collins, director of operations at the Welsh Ambulance Service, said: "The Trust took 36,754 calls during the month of October – that's 2,228 more than in September 2014 and 1,548 more than during October last year.

"Of these calls, 14,190 were categorised as the most serious and life- threatening, up by more than 770 calls from September, and up by more than 530 calls from October last year.

"The Trust has recently established a Recovery and Service Improvement Plan, the aim of which is to deliver sustainable performance improvement and embed impactful change in the delivery of pre-hospital emergency care in Wales.

"As part of this plan, we are looking to make better use of our care pathways to ensure patients are safely signposted to the most appropriate point of care for their needs, thus improving patient safety helping to avoid unnecessary transfers to hospital.

Please remember only to dial 999 if someone is seriously ill or injured, or their life is at risk." Monmouthshire AM Nick Ramsay said he was appalled by the latest ambulance response

times figures.

Speaking on Wednesday, Mr Ramsay said:

"These latest figures will be of serious concern to my constituents who should be confident that when they are faced with a life-threatening situation they can expect a prompt medical response.

I know from the many complaints I receive that a long wait for an ambulance to arrive is extremely distressing and can mean the difference between life and death.

"We have been assured in the past that there would be an improvement but clearly this is not the case. The Welsh Government must take urgent action to address this crisis – people in Monmouthshire deserve better."