Welsh Ambulance Service to host extraordinary Board meeting

The Welsh Ambulance Service is preparing to host an extraordinary Trust Board meeting.

The public can join on Microsoft Teams to hear Board members approve further changes to the way 999 calls are categorised, which are due to go live in December.

New Orange, Yellow and Green categories, which build upon the Purple and Red categories already introduced in July for the most life-threatening calls, have been designed to improve care for patients and ensure they get the right response for their need. 

The changes are in response to new performance measures by Welsh Government which represent a focus on quality of care, rather than how many minutes it takes for an ambulance to arrive. 

Colin Dennis, Chair of the Welsh Ambulance Service, said: “The nature of how patients present to 999 has changed and it’s important to reflect this in the way we respond, first and foremost to increase ambulance availability for those who truly need it but also to ensure that patients who can be cared for closer to home get that opportunity.

“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 get there, is an important step to reflect that.

“Colleagues across the organisation are working flat out to ensure we’re ready for ‘go live’ in December, and we’ll be hearing all about those preparations in the Board meeting.

“Our Board meetings play a vital role in ensuring transparency and openness in everything we do, and we would invite anyone with an interest in the upcoming changes to join us virtually to find out more.”

Click here to watch the Board meeting on Thursday 23 October 2025 from 12.30pm until 1pm.

Viewers are advised that this link will only work 10 minutes before the meeting commences.

An agenda will be available on the Trust’s website in the days prior to the meeting.