In this section: Public services
Welsh Ambulance Services University NHS Trust: funding, staff and response times
Last updated . Figures refresh every night. How each figure is worked out.
£345m for Welsh Ambulance Services University NHS Trust in 2025-26, £109 per resident, +2.7% on a year earlier after inflation.
Figure as of unknown date. Source: Welsh Ambulance Services University NHS Trust, Welsh Ambulance Services University NHS Trust.
Key figures
- £345m2025-26, cash +6.2% on a year earlier
- £109Per resident, 2025-26
- 4,242 FTEStaff (full-time equivalent), 2026-03 Wales: 4,242 FTE
- 9.0 minutesRed (emergency): median response (Wales), 2026-08 Wales: 9.0 minutes
- 7.4 minutesPurple (cardiac or respiratory arrest): median response (Wales), 2026-08 Wales: 7.4 minutes
Sources: Welsh Ambulance Services University NHS Trust, Welsh Government (StatsWales).
Over time: cash, real terms and per resident
Real terms use HM Treasury’s GDP deflator, 2025-26 prices. Breaks in the series: 2017-18: England’s response categories 1 to 4 and their standards (the Ambulance Response Programme) began in 2017; the NHS England series here starts with them. Earlier red/green figures are not comparable. 2022-23: Scotland: response times from April 2022 are provisional while the Scottish Ambulance Service revises its definition. 2023-24: England: handover times are in AmbSYS from October 2023, replacing the winter situation reports. 2025-26: Wales: a new clinical response model from July 2025 (purple, red, orange, yellow, green); the old red 8-minute measure ends in June 2025 and the two are not comparable. 2026-27: England: integrated care boards merged in April 2026; the trust areas are drawn on the new boards. From August 2026 NHS England moved some ambulance data to the Ambulance Data Set, and the latest month is revised the month after.
The numbers behind this chart
| Year | Real terms (2025-26 prices) | Cash |
|---|---|---|
2022-23Details for 2022-23 | £335.8m | £296.3m |
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2023-24Details for 2023-24 | £329.8m | £306.4m |
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2024-25Details for 2024-25 | £336.2m | £325.0m |
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2025-26Details for 2025-26 | £345.3m | £345.3m |
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Figure as of unknown date. Source: Welsh Ambulance Services University NHS Trust, Welsh Ambulance Services University NHS Trust.
Per resident divides by ONS mid-year population estimates.
The numbers behind this chart
| Year | Per resident, 2025-26 prices | Per resident, cash |
|---|---|---|
2022-23Details for 2022-23 | £107 | £95 |
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2023-24Details for 2023-24 | £104 | £97 |
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2024-25Details for 2024-25 | £105 | £102 |
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2025-26Details for 2025-26 | £109 | £109 |
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Figure as of unknown date. Source: Welsh Ambulance Services University NHS Trust, Welsh Ambulance Services University NHS Trust.
Source: Welsh Ambulance Services University NHS Trust, Welsh Ambulance Services University NHS Trust, Annual Report and Accounts 2025-26; Welsh Ambulance Services University NHS Trust, Welsh Ambulance Services University NHS Trust, Annual Report and Accounts 2023-24.
Where it sits, and what is below it
- UK total
- Nation
- Department or service body (this level)
- Local body not published
- Spending category
- Line or transaction not published
Welsh Ambulance Services University NHS Trust
Operating expenses (statement of comprehensive income); staff costs charged to revenue (note 10.1). Includes the non-emergency patient transport service and NHS 111 Wales, which the trust runs.
£345m in 2025-26 (cash); £345m in 2025-26 prices; £109 per resident; +6.2% on a year earlier in cash, +2.7% in real terms.
| Spending category | Cash, 2025-26 | Real terms (2025-26 prices) | Per resident | Real change on a year earlier | Source | Below this |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
StaffDetails for Staff | £259m | £259m | £81.46 | +5.9% | Welsh Ambulance Services University NHS Trust | Line or transaction not published: The annual accounts break spending down no further than staff and other costs in a form that is comparable year to year, so no finer lines are shown. |
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Everything else (supplies, vehicles, premises, depreciation and other costs)Details for Everything else (supplies, vehicles, premises, depreciation and other costs) | £87m | £87m | £27.30 | −5.6% | Welsh Ambulance Services University NHS Trust | Line or transaction not published: The annual accounts break spending down no further than staff and other costs in a form that is comparable year to year, so no finer lines are shown. |
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Cash is as published. Real terms are in 2025-26 prices, using HM Treasury’s GDP deflator. Per resident divides by ONS mid-year population for the area the body serves. Changes compare the same body in consecutive years.
What is recorded alongside the money
These figures are published beside the funding, not as its result. Demand, geography, recording practice and many other things differ between areas and change over time; none of these charts shows cause and effect.
| Measure | Welsh Ambulance Services University NHS Trust | Wales | Period |
|---|---|---|---|
Staff (full-time equivalent)Details for Staff (full-time equivalent) | 4,242 FTE | 4,242 FTE | 2026-03 |
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Red (emergency): median response (Wales)Details for Red (emergency): median response (Wales) | 9.0 minutes | 9.0 minutes | 2026-08 |
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Purple (cardiac or respiratory arrest): median response (Wales)Details for Purple (cardiac or respiratory arrest): median response (Wales) | 7.4 minutes | 7.4 minutes | 2026-08 |
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All staff employed by the trust or service, full-time equivalent, as each nation’s workforce statistics count them (England and Wales: NHS staff statistics; Northern Ireland: HSC workforce statistics; Scotland: the service’s accounts). Counts include NHS 111 and patient transport staff where the service runs them, so they are not like-for-like between nations.
The numbers behind this chart
| Year | Welsh Ambulance Services University NHS Trust | Wales |
|---|---|---|
2018-12Details for 2018-12 | 3,182 | 3,182 |
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2019-03Details for 2019-03 | 3,213 | 3,213 |
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2019-06Details for 2019-06 | 3,225 | 3,225 |
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2019-09Details for 2019-09 | 3,272 | 3,272 |
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2019-12Details for 2019-12 | 3,278 | 3,278 |
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2020-03Details for 2020-03 | 3,360 | 3,360 |
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2020-06Details for 2020-06 | 3,419 | 3,419 |
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2020-09Details for 2020-09 | 3,625 | 3,625 |
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2020-12Details for 2020-12 | 3,771 | 3,771 |
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2021-03Details for 2021-03 | 3,840 | 3,840 |
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2021-06Details for 2021-06 | 3,881 | 3,881 |
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2021-09Details for 2021-09 | 3,903 | 3,903 |
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2021-12Details for 2021-12 | 3,977 | 3,977 |
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2022-03Details for 2022-03 | 4,086 | 4,086 |
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2022-06Details for 2022-06 | 3,984 | 3,984 |
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2022-09Details for 2022-09 | 3,978 | 3,978 |
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2022-12Details for 2022-12 | 4,075 | 4,075 |
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2023-03Details for 2023-03 | 4,101 | 4,101 |
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2023-06Details for 2023-06 | 4,088 | 4,088 |
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2023-09Details for 2023-09 | 4,057 | 4,057 |
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2023-12Details for 2023-12 | 4,044 | 4,044 |
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2024-03Details for 2024-03 | 4,034 | 4,034 |
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2024-06Details for 2024-06 | 4,030 | 4,030 |
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2024-09Details for 2024-09 | 4,066 | 4,066 |
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2024-12Details for 2024-12 | 4,082 | 4,082 |
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2025-03Details for 2025-03 | 4,127 | 4,127 |
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2025-06Details for 2025-06 | 4,150 | 4,150 |
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2025-09Details for 2025-09 | 4,223 | 4,223 |
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2025-12Details for 2025-12 | 4,212 | 4,212 |
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2026-03Details for 2026-03 | 4,242 | 4,242 |
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Figure as of 28 July 2026. Source: Welsh Government (StatsWales).
Median response time for red calls under the clinical response model introduced in July 2025. Not the same category as red before July 2025, or as England’s category 1.
The numbers behind this chart
| Year | Welsh Ambulance Services University NHS Trust | Wales |
|---|---|---|
2025-07Details for 2025-07 | 8.8 | 8.8 |
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2025-08Details for 2025-08 | 9.3 | 9.3 |
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2025-09Details for 2025-09 | 8.6 | 8.6 |
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2025-10Details for 2025-10 | 8.8 | 8.8 |
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2025-11Details for 2025-11 | 8.5 | 8.5 |
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2025-12Details for 2025-12 | 9.3 | 9.3 |
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2026-01Details for 2026-01 | 9.6 | 9.6 |
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2026-02Details for 2026-02 | 8.9 | 8.9 |
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2026-03Details for 2026-03 | 9.4 | 9.4 |
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2026-04Details for 2026-04 | 9.4 | 9.4 |
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2026-05Details for 2026-05 | 9.2 | 9.2 |
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2026-06Details for 2026-06 | 9.5 | 9.5 |
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2026-07Details for 2026-07 | 9.2 | 9.2 |
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2026-08Details for 2026-08 | 9.0 | 9.0 |
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Figure as of 17 September 2026. Source: Welsh Government (StatsWales).
Median response time for purple calls under the Welsh clinical response model introduced in July 2025.
The numbers behind this chart
| Year | Welsh Ambulance Services University NHS Trust | Wales |
|---|---|---|
2025-07Details for 2025-07 | 7.6 | 7.6 |
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2025-08Details for 2025-08 | 7.3 | 7.3 |
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2025-09Details for 2025-09 | 7.3 | 7.3 |
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2025-10Details for 2025-10 | 7.5 | 7.5 |
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2025-11Details for 2025-11 | 7.1 | 7.1 |
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2025-12Details for 2025-12 | 7.6 | 7.6 |
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2026-01Details for 2026-01 | 7.1 | 7.1 |
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2026-02Details for 2026-02 | 6.8 | 6.8 |
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2026-03Details for 2026-03 | 7.6 | 7.6 |
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2026-04Details for 2026-04 | 7.7 | 7.7 |
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2026-05Details for 2026-05 | 7.8 | 7.8 |
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2026-06Details for 2026-06 | 7.7 | 7.7 |
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2026-07Details for 2026-07 | 7.7 | 7.7 |
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2026-08Details for 2026-08 | 7.4 | 7.4 |
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Figure as of 17 September 2026. Source: Welsh Government (StatsWales).
What these figures do and don't show
- Each nation measures response times its own way. England uses categories 1 to 4 with national standards; Wales moved to a new model in July 2025, which breaks its series; Scotland and Northern Ireland publish their own measures. Times are compared within a nation, never across.
- No Treasury figure for ambulances. HM Treasury counts ambulance services inside medical services, so the UK figure here is the sum of the services’ own accounts, for years all of them have.
- Handover delays are hospital as well as ambulance. Time lost at hospital handover depends on the hospital’s capacity as much as on the ambulance service.
- Vehicle numbers are not published as official statistics for any nation.
- Nothing here shows cause and effect.
Where this sits: Ambulance services, United Kingdom → Wales → Welsh Ambulance Services University NHS Trust. Figures from data/services/ambulance.json, generated 29 September 2026.
Use this data
The figures belong to the bodies that published them and are used under their terms, listed in Sources for this page; most are Crown copyright under the Open Government Licence. Only our own words, analysis, charts and derived calculations are ours, published under CC BY 4.0: reuse them, including commercially, if you credit Tekstak Ltd and link back to this page.
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Sources for this page
| Source | Publisher | Figures as of | Updated | Licence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Welsh Ambulance Services University NHS Trust, Annual Report and Accounts 2025-26 | Welsh Ambulance Services University NHS Trust | — | annual | Open Government Licence v3.0 |
| Welsh Ambulance Services University NHS Trust, Annual Report and Accounts 2023-24 | Welsh Ambulance Services University NHS Trust | — | annual | Open Government Licence v3.0 |
| Staff directly employed by the NHS by staff group and organisation | Welsh Government (StatsWales) | 28 July 2026 | annual | Open Government Licence v3.0 |
| Ambulance activity and performance measures, July 2025 onwards | Welsh Government (StatsWales) | 17 September 2026 | annual | Open Government Licence v3.0 |
Each source's figures are used under the licence shown. Our own words, analysis, charts and derived calculations are ours, under CC BY 4.0.