A controversial decision to phase out the co-responder scheme in the South West has been branded “dangerous and deeply irresponsible” by rural campaigners, following data that shows patients in Tiverton and Minehead are already waiting nearly an hour for emergency help.
The scheme, which sees volunteers attend incidents alongside trained emergency service crews, is being wound down, despite its proven value in saving lives in hard-to-reach rural areas.
FOI data obtained by James Wright, farmer and rural campaigner, reveals that Category 2 emergencies, such as strokes and chest pains, had average ambulance response times of over 50 minutes in both Tiverton (EX16) and Minehead (TA24) between March 2024 and March 2025. The NHS national target is just 18 minutes.
“This is the reality rural communities are living with,” said Wright. “While someone in a city might get help in under 10 minutes, people here are waiting nearly an hour for a paramedic when every second counts. The co-responder service isn't a replacement for an ambulance or fire crew, but it was a vital lifeline.”
The move to scrap the scheme has sparked fury among local first responders, campaigners, and residents, many of whom fear that rural fire stations could face closure if stripped of co-responder duties.
“This is yet another example of urban decision-makers making life-or-death decisions for rural communities they don’t understand and never visit,” Wright said. “There has been a total failure of leadership. Rather than fixing the broken response model, those in charge are cutting the only thing that was working. You don’t solve a crisis by pulling out the last safety net.”
Wright is calling for, the government to reconsider the decision and prioritise rural areas which lag far behind national targets.
