THE ambulance service operating in Oxfordshire is one of just two ambulance trusts in England currently meeting all of its national performance targets.

According to new NHS figures South Central Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (SCAS) met all categories of emergency 999 calls received between April and October.

Of the 17,621 category one (the most serious) emergency calls the trust took, the average response time was six minutes 58 seconds -the NHS target is set at seven minutes.

While SCAS managed an average response time of 12 minutes and 41 seconds in nine out of 10 call outs - more than two minutes quicker than the NHS target of 15 minutes.

SCAS, which also covers Buckinghamshire, Berkshire and Hampshire, was within target for all the other three less-urgent categories.

Director of operations at SCAS Mark Ainsworth, said: “I would like to thank all of our staff – from our planning and scheduling teams who ensure we have the right levels of emergency cover, our make ready and maintenance teams who look after our vehicles, to those in our control rooms who answer the 999 calls and arrange the right help for our patients, to those working 24-7 across the South Central region on our frontline ambulances and rapid response vehicles, as well as our volunteers and co-responders.

He added: “This is excellent performance at a time of increasing demand on our emergency service and it is only possible thanks to the hard work and dedication of those people.”