Category 4 Ambulance Response Times in England
Category 4 calls are less urgent, such as diarrhoea or non-urgent transport. Real NHS England AmbSYS data for May 2026, across 11 ambulance trusts. Target: no mean target mean / 180 minutes 90th-centile.
What is the Category 4 ambulance response time in England?
In May 2026, the England mean Category 4 ambulance response time was 148 minutes 50 seconds, with a 90th-centile of 348 minutes 25 seconds, across 6,440 Category 4 incidents, per NHS England Ambulance Quality Indicators (AmbSYS). Category 4 calls are less urgent, such as diarrhoea or non-urgent transport. Gera re-dates this monthly.
| Trust | Mean response | 90th centile | Incidents |
|---|---|---|---|
| North East Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust | 62 minutes 8 seconds | 134 minutes 47 seconds | 532 |
| North West Ambulance Service NHS Trust | 100 minutes 20 seconds | 216 minutes 33 seconds | 1,110 |
| Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust | 104 minutes 58 seconds | 216 minutes 40 seconds | 398 |
| East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust | 105 minutes 28 seconds | 243 minutes 41 seconds | 419 |
| South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust | 141 minutes 52 seconds | 284 minutes 7 seconds | 788 |
| West Midlands Ambulance Service University NHS Foundation Trust | 156 minutes 21 seconds | 409 minutes 42 seconds | 449 |
| London Ambulance Service NHS Trust | 166 minutes 40 seconds | 398 minutes 33 seconds | 1,017 |
| Isle of Wight NHS Trust | 176 minutes 47 seconds | 403 minutes 18 seconds | 38 |
| South Central Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust | 198 minutes 38 seconds | 416 minutes 36 seconds | 602 |
| South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust | 229 minutes 43 seconds | 584 minutes 16 seconds | 262 |
| East Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Trust | 230 minutes 27 seconds | 619 minutes 26 seconds | 825 |
Other ambulance call categories
Category 4 ambulance response times: FAQs
- What is the Category 4 ambulance response time in England?
- In May 2026, the England mean Category 4 ambulance response time was 148 minutes 50 seconds, with a 90th-centile time of 348 minutes 25 seconds, across 6,440 Category 4 incidents. Category 4 calls are less urgent, such as diarrhoea or non-urgent transport. Source: NHS England AmbSYS, May 2026.
- What counts as a Category 4 ambulance call?
- Category 4 ambulance calls are less urgent, such as diarrhoea or non-urgent transport. There is no mean-time standard for Category 4 and a 90th-centile of 180 minutes. In May 2026 the England mean was 148 minutes 50 seconds.
Not a 999 emergency? Talk to a doctor now
Category 4 calls are less urgent, such as diarrhoea or non-urgent transport. 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).