NORTH West Ambulance Service is pleased with the number of 999 call-outs which are now being dealt with through its ‘See and Treat’ initiative.

The scheme was brought in to avoid taking patients to hospital unnecessarily, and to relieve pressure on ambulance crews and emergency department staff.

In June, there were 17,070 patients that were treated at the scene or referred to a GP, which was 19.8 per cent of the total.

Trust board papers said: “It reflects a 1.3 per cent improvement over the June 2013 See and Treat percentage of 18.5 per cent.

“Given the increase in overall incidents, the numerical increase was perhaps predictable, however, the positive impact of alternative pathway schemes can be seen in the percentage improvement. This is encouraging.”