From the headlines that followed publication of the National Ambulance Survey results this month, you might have thought the service was in serious danger. Critics were quick to criticise ambulance trusts for the growing number of people who only receive triage and treatment over the phone. Headlines claimed many people do not receive an ambulance when they dial 999. What the headlines failed to mention, however, were the actual survey results.

Results demonstrate that telephone triage and advice is working for patients, and this is a cause for celebration rather than concern.

This survey (conducted and coordinated by the Picker Institute for the Care Quality Commission) sought the views of "hear and treat" callers, service users who were deemed to have non-life-threatening conditions and received triage and advice over the phone. Feedback from these callers suggests that criticisms of hear-and-treat services are unjustified. Instead, their accounts portray an encouraging story of telephone services. The results are, for the most part, impressive – a testament to the functioning of the services as well as the quality of NHS staff behind them.

For instance, more than 80% of service users said they felt they were always treated with dignity and respect and 87% said they felt the call taker listened to them completely. Furthermore, 80% felt that call takers at the ambulance service asked an appropriate number of questions, a principle aspect of care for those receiving advice and support over the phone. Ultimately, 76% of services users rated their overall experience as 8 or above out of 10.

While each of these findings leaves room for improvement, they represent a positive reaction from callers who will usually have dialled 999 expecting a different kind of response.

Often thought of as the most over-burdened sector of the NHS, the ambulance service is responsible for providing rapid, life-saving care within as little as eight minutes. The pressure is compounded by limited funding and an ageing population. It should not be surprising that the service is unable to deploy an ambulance to each 999 call.

The discussion should centre on how well trusts can deliver high-quality, person-centred care through alternative approaches. Looking at the survey results, the prospects are positive. Service users have demonstrated that experience is determined by a multitude of factors that amount to much more than the deployment of an ambulance.

And the survey does not suggest that patients' experiences would be improved by more ambulance attendances.

The hear-and-treat survey findings, and the reactions to them in some sections of the media, reveal a compelling need for ambulance trusts and the broader health service to educate people on how the triage system operates, and what circumstances will result in an ambulance crew response. Although the general expectation is that calling 999 means an ambulance crew or paramedic will arrive to assist within minutes, about a quarter of people who use the ambulance service each month will actually be given the hear-and-treat service instead – and that proportion is growing.

Familiarising people with how the ambulance service functions could encourage them to have more reasonable expectations and, perhaps, to make more appropriate use of emergency services.

As burdens on the ambulance service intensify, and the proportion of hear-and-treat service users continues to grow, it is important to applaud success and acknowledge that overall experience does not hinge on blue flashing lights. What the survey really shows is that hear-and-treat services can provide high-quality and efficient care in the context of a cash-strapped NHS – and, therefore, that cutting costs need not be synonymous with cutting care.

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