29-06-2025
Welsh ambulance service to introduce new 'purple' category
The Welsh Ambulance Service will launch the changes on Tuesday, July 1, as part of a wider plan to improve patient outcomes and increase survival rates for out-of-hospital cardiac arrests, which currently stand at less than five per cent in Wales.
The changes include a new 'purple' category for cardiac arrests, which takes priority over the existing 'red' category used for other life-threatening emergencies.
Jeremy Miles, cabinet secretary for health and social care, said: "We're taking decisive action to save more lives.
"Until now, cardiac arrests have been categorised in the same way as less critical problems like breathing difficulties.
"This new approach ensures ambulance teams prioritise people with the most urgent needs.
"This targeted clinical response, combined with wider access to defibrillators in the community and improvements to hospital handovers, represents our commitment to improving survival rates."
The new model follows recommendations from the Senedd's Health and Social Care Committee, which found the current ambulance response target was outdated and not fit for purpose.
The revised system shifts the emphasis from response times to patient outcomes.
Jason Killens, chief executive of the Welsh Ambulance Service, said: "Since 1974, the ambulance service has been measured by the time it takes to reach emergency calls.
"The ambulance service of today provides much more sophisticated care, so shifting the focus to how many people survive a life-or-death emergency because of our interventions, rather than how many minutes it takes us to arrive, is an important step to reflect that."
Calls in the new purple category will be prioritised for the fastest response, with the primary measure being the percentage of patients who have a heartbeat restored before arriving at hospital.
Ambulances will still aim to reach purple and red calls within six to eight minutes on average.
The Welsh Government has also provided £500,000 for 500 additional defibrillators in community locations to support the new system.
From July, the Welsh Ambulance Service will host the NHS Wales Save a Life Cymru programme, which promotes CPR awareness and improves access to defibrillators across the country.
