UK Health Secretary Wes Streeting has urged ambulance trust leaders to shave “just a few seconds” off response times in the coming weeks as the NHS moves within striking distance of meeting one of the government’s key urgent-care recovery targets. The push highlights how small improvements in operational efficiency could help the health service demonstrate measurable progress in emergency care performance during the 2025–26 financial year.
Final push to meet national ambulance performance target
Streeting’s message was delivered to chief executives of ambulance trusts across England, emphasising that modest reductions in response times over the next three weeks could enable the NHS to achieve its target for Category 2 emergency calls. These incidents include potentially life-threatening conditions such as suspected heart attacks and strokes. Under NHS performance standards, the average response time for Category 2 calls should be around 30 minutes across the year. Recent data shows the NHS is close to that threshold. By the end of January 2026, the year-to-date average stood at 30 minutes and 32 seconds, just over half a minute above the target.
Officials believe that improvements in February’s performance figures, expected to be better than anticipated, could bring the average close enough to the target to claim success for the year. The appeal for incremental gains reflects a wider strategy within the Department of Health and Social Care and NHS England to demonstrate recovery in urgent and emergency care services after years of severe pressure.
Progress after years of emergency care strain
Ambulance performance has been one of the most visible indicators of strain on the NHS in recent years. Delays in emergency responses have often been linked to hospital overcrowding, staff shortages and delays transferring patients from ambulances to emergency departments. The government’s urgent and emergency care recovery plan has therefore placed a strong emphasis on improving response times and reducing ambulance handover delays.
Recent NHS data suggests some progress is being made. For example, average ambulance handover times improved by more than two minutes compared with the previous year, even during one of the busiest winter periods since before the COVID-19 pandemic.
Health officials have credited earlier winter planning, expanded vaccination campaigns and operational changes designed to improve patient flow through hospitals. Streeting has also highlighted investments intended to strengthen urgent care capacity, including additional ambulances, expanded vaccination programmes and funding targeted at emergency care services.
The role of digital technology in ambulance performance
Alongside operational reforms, digital technology is increasingly being used to improve ambulance response times and system efficiency. Ambulance services across England are expanding the use of real-time data platforms, predictive analytics and integrated digital dispatch systems. These tools allow control centres to monitor demand patterns, allocate vehicles more efficiently and anticipate surges in emergency calls.
Many ambulance trusts are also adopting digital triage technologies linked to NHS 111 services, helping clinicians prioritise the most urgent cases while directing less severe incidents to alternative care pathways. For NHS leaders, such technology is seen as a critical component of long-term emergency care reform. Digital integration between ambulance services, hospitals and community care providers can help ensure patients are directed to the most appropriate treatment setting, reducing unnecessary hospital admissions.
Ongoing challenges facing NHS emergency services
Despite the improving figures, ambulance performance remains under intense scrutiny. Emergency departments continue to experience high patient volumes, and long waits for hospital beds can still delay ambulance crews from returning to the road. Healthcare analysts warn that sustained improvements in ambulance response times depend heavily on wider system factors, particularly hospital capacity and patient discharge processes.
The government has acknowledged that emergency care performance remains uneven across England, with some regions continuing to struggle to meet national targets. Nevertheless, the near-achievement of the Category 2 response target represents a symbolic milestone for the NHS recovery programme.
NHS recovery narrative and political pressure
Streeting’s appeal for marginal improvements reflects the political importance of demonstrating progress in NHS performance. Emergency care metrics, alongside elective waiting lists and A&E delays are among the most closely watched indicators of health service recovery. The health secretary has repeatedly argued that while the NHS faces deep structural challenges, improvements in ambulance response times and emergency care are signs that reform efforts are beginning to deliver results.
If the NHS succeeds in meeting or approaching the Category 2 target by the end of the financial year, it could provide the government with evidence that the system is beginning to stabilise after years of crisis. For frontline ambulance staff and NHS managers, however, the focus remains on sustaining these gains and ensuring that improvements in response times translate into better outcomes for patients across the country.
