How long does an ambulance take in England?
In August 2026, ambulances reached life-threatening emergencies (Category 1) in 7.9 minutes on average (standard: 7 minutes) and emergencies such as heart attacks and strokes (Category 2) in 28.9 minutes (standard: 18 minutes), in England.
Average response, August 2026. Standard: 7 minutes. The slowest tenth waited 14 minutes or more (standard: 15).
Average response, e.g. heart attack or stroke. Standard: 18 minutes. The slowest tenth waited 59 minutes or more (standard: 40).
Calls answered in August 2026.
Ambulance response times over time
What’s this?
The average time from a 999 call being classed as life-threatening, such as cardiac arrest, to an ambulance arriving. The national standard is an average of 7 minutes.
What it cannot tell you: It is an average for England, so it hides differences between areas and the slowest responses.
What’s this?
The average time from a 999 call being classed as an emergency, such as a heart attack or stroke, to an ambulance arriving. The national standard is an average of 18 minutes.
What it cannot tell you: It is an average for England, so it hides differences between areas and the slowest responses.
Response times by ambulance service
Average response times in August 2026, fastest Category 2 first.
| Ambulance service | Category 1 average | Category 2 average |
|---|---|---|
| North East Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust | 6.2 min | 20 min |
| West Midlands Ambulance Service University NHS Foundation Trust | 8.0 min | 21 min |
| North West Ambulance Service NHS Trust | 7.0 min | 23 min |
| Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust | 7.9 min | 24 min |
| South Central Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust | 8.7 min | 29 min |
| Isle Of Wight NHS Trust | 8.9 min | 29 min |
| South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust | 7.4 min | 29 min |
| East Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Trust | 8.8 min | 32 min |
| London Ambulance Service NHS Trust | 7.1 min | 32 min |
| East Of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust | 8.8 min | 34 min |
| South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust | 9.6 min | 38 min |
Questions people ask
How long does an ambulance take to arrive in England?
On average 7.9 minutes for life-threatening emergencies and 29 minutes for other emergencies such as heart attack and stroke, in August 2026.
What are ambulance response categories?
Category 1 is life-threatening (for example cardiac arrest), Category 2 is an emergency (for example a stroke or heart attack), Category 3 is urgent and Category 4 is less urgent.
What are the ambulance response time standards?
Category 1: an average of 7 minutes and 90% within 15 minutes. Category 2: an average of 18 minutes and 90% within 40 minutes. Category 3: 90% within 2 hours. Category 4: 90% within 3 hours.
How long does a Category 3 call wait?
The slowest tenth of Category 3 calls waited 4.2 hours or more in August 2026; the standard is that 90% are reached within 2 hours.
Does this cover the rest of the UK?
No. England only. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland publish their own ambulance figures.
Source: NHS England, Ambulance Quality Indicators (AmbSYS), August 2026. England only. Updated every night.
See also: A&E waiting times · NHS waiting list · NHS spending