Great Western Ambulance Service has been praised by patients who required an ambulance for non-life threatening conditions.
More than 330 GWAS patients took part in a survey carried out by the independent Care Quality Commission on Category C calls.
Category C calls are those which require a medical response within 60 minutes. Typical incidents are falls, minor accidents and abdominal pains.
Two out of three GWAS patients taking part in the survey were aged over 65 and 71 per cent of the respondents rated the care they received from GWAS staff as excellent and 24 per cent said it was very good.
In 2008/9 GWAS, which serves Wiltshire, Gloucestershire and Avon, responded to 58,854 Category C calls, an increase of 13 per cent on the previous year.
Of those calls GWAS arrived at 86.7 per cent within 60 minutes against a local target of 95 per cent.
GWAS clinical director Dr Ossie Rawstorne said: “It is reassuring to see that these patients value the service we provide and the survey is a reflection of the dedication and hard work of our staff throughout the organisation in responding to these incidents.”
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