Category 3 Ambulance Response Times in England
Category 3 calls are urgent, such as abdominal pain or an uncomplicated fall. Real NHS England AmbSYS data for May 2026, across 11 ambulance trusts. Target: 60 minutes mean / 120 minutes 90th-centile.
What is the Category 3 ambulance response time in England?
In May 2026, the England mean Category 3 ambulance response time was 107 minutes 49 seconds, with a 90th-centile of 248 minutes 14 seconds, across 141,822 Category 3 incidents, per NHS England Ambulance Quality Indicators (AmbSYS). Category 3 calls are urgent, such as abdominal pain or an uncomplicated fall. Gera re-dates this monthly.
| Trust | Mean response | 90th centile | Incidents |
|---|---|---|---|
| North East Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust | 48 minutes 47 seconds | 111 minutes 33 seconds | 11,295 |
| Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust | 78 minutes 5 seconds | 179 minutes 26 seconds | 14,275 |
| East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust | 88 minutes 25 seconds | 208 minutes 51 seconds | 17,986 |
| North West Ambulance Service NHS Trust | 89 minutes 44 seconds | 188 minutes 28 seconds | 16,753 |
| Isle of Wight NHS Trust | 89 minutes 57 seconds | 205 minutes 44 seconds | 745 |
| London Ambulance Service NHS Trust | 98 minutes 3 seconds | 246 minutes 51 seconds | 15,646 |
| West Midlands Ambulance Service University NHS Foundation Trust | 112 minutes 26 seconds | 269 minutes 50 seconds | 13,571 |
| South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust | 117 minutes 42 seconds | 268 minutes 2 seconds | 15,249 |
| East Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Trust | 147 minutes 34 seconds | 324 minutes 59 seconds | 9,657 |
| South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust | 148 minutes 28 seconds | 353 minutes 5 seconds | 15,993 |
| South Central Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust | 169 minutes 52 seconds | 368 minutes 5 seconds | 10,652 |
Other ambulance call categories
Category 3 ambulance response times: FAQs
- What is the Category 3 ambulance response time in England?
- In May 2026, the England mean Category 3 ambulance response time was 107 minutes 49 seconds, with a 90th-centile time of 248 minutes 14 seconds, across 141,822 Category 3 incidents. Category 3 calls are urgent, such as abdominal pain or an uncomplicated fall. Source: NHS England AmbSYS, May 2026.
- What counts as a Category 3 ambulance call?
- Category 3 ambulance calls are urgent, such as abdominal pain or an uncomplicated fall. The response standard is a mean of 60 minutes and a 90th-centile of 120 minutes. In May 2026 the England mean was 107 minutes 49 seconds.
Not a 999 emergency? Talk to a doctor now
Category 3 calls are urgent, such as abdominal pain or an uncomplicated fall. For a life-threatening emergency always call 999. For a non-urgent concern, a UK-registered GeraClinic clinician can assess, triage and escalate β often the same day.
Contains public sector information published by NHS England and licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: NHS England β Ambulance Quality Indicators (AQI), AmbSYS (May 2026, published 11 June 2026).