NHS promise £15 million to improve 'concerning' ambulance response times In the East of England waiting times have increased by a minute and a half, more than 40 per cent, while patients in the West Midlands are waiting an extra 32 seconds for potentially life-saving treatment. However, most ambulances arrive within the eight-minute target set for serious, life-threatening incidents. After the figures were obtained by the Labour Party in a series of Freedom of Information requests, NHS England promised extra money to try and tackle the problem. The news comes amid fears that the health service could be facing its worst winter yet. Dame Barbara Hakin, Deputy Chief Executive and Chief Operating Officer of NHS England, said: "I'm very concerned about any figures that show patients aren't being treated as quickly and promptly as they should be. We know with ambulances that every second counts so it's really important that response times are swift. They will give £15 million of their winter funding directly to the ambulance trusts, she promised.