The South Yorkshire, Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire Joint Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee met on Wednesday 7 January 2026. The meeting discussed the performance of the Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust and reviewed the committee's work programme.

Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust Update

The committee received an update on the performance and service delivery of the Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust (YAS). It was noted that YAS continues to experience high operational demand across its 999 Operations, Integrated Urgent Care (IUC), and non-emergency Patient Transport Service (PTS).

In terms of response times for 999 Operations, the average Category 2 response time for YAS between April and November 2025 was 26 minutes and 33 seconds, an improvement on the previous year. For the South Yorkshire area specifically, Category 1 response times averaged 7 minutes and 36 seconds, and Category 2 response times averaged 24 minutes and 45 seconds. The report highlighted that the national performance standard for Category 2 response times is under 30 minutes, with a statutory standard of 18 minutes.

Significant progress has been made in reducing patient handover delays at hospital Emergency Departments, with the introduction of the 'transfer of care' operating procedure (W45). The average handover time across the Trust between April and November 2025 was 19 minutes and 27 seconds, a considerable improvement from the previous year. Specific improvements were noted at Barnsley District Hospital, Doncaster Royal Infirmary, Northern General Hospital, and Rotherham District General Hospital.

The Trust has also implemented a new primary triage tool for 999 call handling, NHS Pathways, aiming to streamline the patient journey and ensure more accurate assessment of needs. While this has had a slight impact on call-taking performance, YAS is working to improve this. The report also indicated a slight decrease in 'hear and treat' rates in South Yorkshire, where clinicians provide treatment and advice over the phone.

YAS's Integrated Urgent Care service, which handles NHS 111 calls, continues to perform well nationally, with a high percentage of calls answered within 60 seconds. The non-emergency Patient Transport Service also saw an increase in journeys operated and improved call answering performance.

The report mentioned that YAS was ranked third nationally among ambulance trusts in the new NHS Oversight Framework for both Quarter 1 and 2 of 2025/26. While this reflects strong performance in areas such as Category 2 response times and finance, it also highlighted areas for improvement, including sickness absence rates and the number of patients conveyed to emergency departments. The Trust has a strategic ambition to improve its estate, with a recent relocation of Wath Ambulance Station, but limited capital funding restricts further immediate investment plans.

Work Programme

The committee reviewed and agreed the draft work programme for 2025/2026. It was agreed that an update on the Yorkshire Ambulance Service would be presented in January, alongside an update on dentistry. The March meeting would focus on work planning. Councillor Eve Keenan, seconded by Councillor Mick Stowe, requested that an item on stroke response and aftercare be added to the work plan. Councillor David Harvey also requested the addition of an item on weight loss injections. Future items to be scoped for inclusion in the work programme include fluoridation, mental health, learning disability and autism, continuing healthcare, Sands bereavement care in South Yorkshire, and stroke response and aftercare.