Skip to main content

South West Ambulance Response Index

Real NHS England Ambulance Quality Indicators (AmbSYS) for the South West region, May 20261 NHS ambulance service, ranked 7 of 7 NHS regions. May 2026 edition.

How fast are ambulances responding in South West?

As of May 2026, the Gera Ambulance Response Index for South West is 59.6 / 100: the mean Category 1 (life-threatening) response time was 9 minutes 22 seconds against a 7-minute target and the mean Category 2 (emergency) response time was 40 minutes 24 seconds against an 18-minute target, across 1 NHS ambulance service (NHS England AmbSYS).

Source:NHS England — Ambulance Quality Indicators (AQI), AmbSYS·as of May 2026updated monthly (last: )
South West Ambulance Response Index59.6 / 100May 2026 — severe pressure (higher = faster vs target)How this index is calculated

The region score pools each service’s published Category 1 and Category 2 mean response times by incident count, then applies the index formula. Every figure is a real NHS England AmbSYS number — see the methodology.

Region index

59.6 / 100

severe pressure

Category 1 mean

9 minutes 22 seconds

target 7 min

Category 2 mean

40 minutes 24 seconds

target 18 min

Incidents

91,805

1 service

Ambulance service in South West

South West is served by South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust, which scores 59.6 / 100 on the May 2026 data.

Ambulance services in South West — May 2026 (NHS England AmbSYS, OGL v3.0)
Ambulance serviceResponse IndexC1 meanC1 90thC2 meanC2 90th
South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust59.6 / 1009 minutes 22 seconds17m 11s40 minutes 24 seconds83m 16s

South West ambulance response: FAQs

What is the ambulance response time in South West (May 2026)?
In May 2026, South West had a mean Category 1 (life-threatening) response time of 9 minutes 22 seconds against a 7-minute target and a mean Category 2 (emergency) response time of 40 minutes 24 seconds against an 18-minute target, per NHS England AmbSYS. Its Gera Ambulance Response Index is 59.6 / 100.
Which ambulance service covers South West?
South West is served by South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust, which scores 59.6 / 100 on the Gera Ambulance Response Index for May 2026.
How does South West compare with England?
England as a whole scores 75.3 / 100 for May 2026 (mean Category 2 29 minutes 13 seconds). South West scores 59.6 / 100 (mean Category 2 40 minutes 24 seconds) — below the England index.

Not a 999 emergency but need a doctor fast?

In South West the mean Category 1 ambulance response is 9 minutes 22 seconds, against a 7-minute target. For a non-emergency, a UK-registered GeraClinic clinician can assess, triage and escalate — often the same day. For a 999 emergency always call 999.

Other NHS regions

Contains public sector information published by NHS England and licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Contains public sector information published by NHS England and licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: NHS England — Ambulance Quality Indicators (AQI), AmbSYS (May 2026, published 11 June 2026).

Editorial data review: figures on this page are drawn directly from the official public source cited here and were cross-checked against that source at publication; derived values (percentages, medians, index scores) are computed from those published figures using the stated methodology — nothing is estimated or invented. Last reviewed: 3 July 2026. This page is general information, not medical advice.

Informational/educational only — not a substitute for professional medical advice; a clinician interprets results.