LONDON Ambulance Service (LAS) is responding to emergency calls faster than ever, according to the latest performance figures.

During the 1996/97 financial year the service responded to 91 per cent of calls within 14 minutes and to 37 per cent within eight minutes.

It is a one per cent increase in and puts the service above the target times agreed with London health authorities.

The improvements were made despite a 4.4 per cent rise in the number of emergency calls taking the total for 1996/97 to 650,334.

Demand for the ambulance service continues to increase.

New guidelines on the way ambulance services measure response times were introduced nationwide at the beginning of April.

and early indications show that the London Ambulance Service has now reached 95 per cent of calls in 14 minutes and 50 per cent in eight.

The LAS has also planned technological developments for the coming year.

There are also plans for new health education programmes aimed at reducing the need for ambulance call-outs.

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