Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to reduce waiting times for ambulance services; and if he will undertake an assessment of the need for central Government investment in an urgent programme (a) of fall prevention work and (b) other preventative interventions to reduce the number of ambulance call-outs in (i) Brighton and Hove and (ii) other areas of the UK; and if he will make a statement.

National Health Service ambulance trusts are being supported by NHS England and NHS Improvement to reduce waiting times through the National Ambulance Coordination Centre. We are also investing an extra £55 million to increase staff numbers ahead of winter, helping trusts to recruit more 999 call handlers and clinicians to work in control rooms and supplementing frontline staffing capacity. There are no current plans to undertake such an assessment.