SOUTH Central Ambulance Service (SCAS) is one of just two ambulance trusts in the country meeting all national performance targets this year, new figures show.

SCAS responded to nine out of ten life-threatening and emergency calls within the target time between April and October, according to statistics released by NHS England this month.

For the most serious Category 1 incidents the trust recorded a mean response time of six minutes 58 seconds, beating the national mean of seven minutes.

Figures also show 90 per cent of category 1 calls were attended to within 12 minutes and 41 seconds, when the national target is 15 minutes.

SCAS beat the 18 minute target for Category 2 calls by more than two minutes, recording a time of 15 minutes 38 seconds.

It was also revealed the trust achieved the target response time of two and three hours for 90 per cent of less urgent Category 3 and 4 calls.

All ambulance trusts are measured against the Ambulance Response Programme targets for categories of emergency 999 calls received.

Calls are split into Category 1 and 2, which are 'life-threatening and emergency' calls, while 'urgent and less urgent' calls are categories 3 and 4.

Mark Ainsworth, director of operations at SCAS, said: “Whilst the peak winter and festive period will no doubt again be challenging right across the NHS, I hope it is reassuring for the people who live and work in our region that our emergency 999 performance is not only better than this time last year, but is one of the very best in the country.”