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Changing our response to C2 calls

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This week, the Trust is rolling out a new way to manage our category 2 emergency calls, known as C2 segmentation.

C2 segmentation is being introduced nationally, following approval by NHS England and the Emergency Call Prioritisation Group, and after successful trials and roll outs by the West Midlands and London Ambulance Services. It is about ensuring that patients receive a more clinically accurate response, and an ambulance is being dispatched where appropriate and based on clinical need. Certain C2 code sets have been identified nationally, to be of lower acuity and more suitable for a hear and treat response rather than a traditional ambulance response.

Under the new system, appropriate cat 2 calls will be quickly assessed by a clinician to identify the patient’s immediate need, including if an ambulance is required. 

The two segments of Category 2 calls moving forward are: 

  • Immediate Dispatch: (Cat2A) The C2 call will receive an ambulance response as soon as a resource is available. 
  • Clinical Navigation: (Cat2 B and C) The call will be assessed by a clinician to ensure that an ambulance response is appropriate. Patients can be directed to alternative care pathways where appropriate. 

For our crews, nothing changes in terms of their response to, or treatment of, patients in the C2 category. All patients in the C2 category still require a blue light response if dispatched. The intention is to ensure that calls that are responded to by our crews within the C2 category are validated for an ambulance response. 

Our ECAT teams already undertake this process with C3, C4 and C5 calls, with some predefined C2 code sets also manged in this way. C2 segmentation will increase the number of patients receiving clinical contact by the ECAT team, this in turn will help ensure that crews attend the appropriate C2 calls. 

The benefits of C2 segmentation are: 

  • More accurate assessment of calls in the C2 category to identify patients that require an ambulance response. 
  • Improved patient safety. 
  • Reduction in C2 mean response times. 
  • Care that is more tailored to a patient’s individual needs. 

Published 21st September 2023