EMERGENCY ambulance response times improved across much of Gwent during July, and are significantly better than for the same month last year, new figures show.

Three areas - Newport (69 per cent), and Blaenau Gwent and Caerphilly (both 60.5 per cent) - reached the response times target for individual areas, that a minimum 60 per cent of category A emergency calls receive an on-scene response within eight minutes.

And Torfaen and Monmouthshire fell just short, with 59 per cent and 58 per cent respectively.

But even the latter represent improved performances by the Welsh Ambulance Services NHS Trust in these areas, compared to June.

And all five areas of Gwent enjoyed much improved performance this July compared to 2014.

In July last year just 52.2 per cent of category A emergency calls in the area received an on-scene response inside eight minutes, compared to 62.2 per cent this July, though there were more than 300 fewer such calls this year.

But the Gwent-wide performance figure, and the all-Wales figure for July too, were short of the overall 65 per cent target for category A call responses.

A new system for assessing the performance of the ambulance service will be introduced during the autumn, evidence-based and focusing on the best outcomes for patients, based on the health problem they have.

But another failure by the ambulance service to reach the soon-to-be-discontinued eight-minute response time target still attracted the ire of Wales' political opposition.

“That these targets have been missed for more than 20 months in a row is a national scandal," said Welsh Conservative shadow minister for health, Darren Millar AM.

And Welsh Liberal Democrats' leader Kirsty Williams AM said: “I’m sorry to say that we still have the lowest ambulance response times in the UK.

"I’m pleased to see that there has been some improvement compared to last year, but it’s clear our ambulance service is still struggling."