10,329 Oxfordshire patients faced ambulance delays over 30 hours

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 16 Oct, 06:08 · Archive

More than 10,000 urgent ambulance calls in Oxfordshire missed national response targets in the past year, with some patients waiting over 30 hours. A Freedom of Information response from South Central Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust, covering September 2025 to August 2026, shows 10,329 category three urgent and category four non-urgent calls exceeded national response standards. The data covers 80,321 ambulance incidents in the county during the 12-month period.

Category three urgent calls saw particularly severe delays, with patients waiting an average of two hours, 39 minutes and 44 seconds. Nearly half of the 20,827 category three calls, 9,957 in total, exceeded the two-hour national target. The longest recorded wait in Oxfordshire was in the Vale of White Horse, where a category three patient waited 30 hours, five minutes and one second for an ambulance. Another long wait was recorded in Cherwell at 23 hours, 25 minutes and seven seconds.

Life-threatening category one emergencies were responded to in an average of 10 minutes and 13 seconds, against a national standard of seven minutes. Category two calls averaged 34 minutes and 35 seconds for the 51,409 calls received, against a national standard of 18 minutes. Calum Miller, Liberal Democrat MP for Bicester and Woodstock, commented that it was 'appalling' anyone should wait nearly an entire day for an ambulance after an urgent call.

How it is being reported

• 10,329 Oxfordshire patients faced ambulance delays with waits topping 30 hoursMore than 10,000 South Central Ambulance call-outs missed national response targets, with some patients waiting over 30 hours for urgent help in Oxfordshire.Oxfordshire Guardian · 16 Oct, 05:00
• 10,329 Oxfordshire patients faced ambulance delays with waits topping 30 hoursMore than 10,000 South Central Ambulance call-outs missed national response targets, with some patients waiting over 30 hours for urgent help in Oxfordshire.Oxford Mail · 16 Oct, 05:00

In this story: South Central Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust · Oxfordshire · Vale of White Horse · Cherwell · Calum Miller · Bicester and Woodstock

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