Fewer ambulance 999 calls to be classed as 'life-threatening'
Fewer 999 ambulance calls will be classed as life-threatening and needing a super-fast response in the biggest shake-up of the service in 40 years.The move by the NHS in England - and agreed by ministers - will result in about 8% of call-outs being classed as needing the quickest response.Currently half of call-outs are, but many are not serious or could wait longer for paramedics to arrive.NHS bosses said it would free up crews to reach the sickest more quickly.They said the targets that were being used now were "blunt" and "dysfunctional" and meant too many ambulances were being dispatched just to meet targets rather than prioritising patients appropriately.The changes have been backed by medical experts after being carefully piloted on 14m 999 calls over the past 18 months.In one of the...