Where I work, the 8 minute target isn't an issue. I don't mean that we always make it, or that it doesn't apply. What I mean is that it doesn't affect the way we go about our job. When I am driving to a job, how long it takes me to get there doesn't matter. It will be more than 8 minutes on many occasions, it will be less on many others. What matters is that we get there as quickly and safely as we can. In fact, in many cases it would be impossible to achieve the 8 minute target, such as a job I had two nights ago. Very little traffic and we took 22 minutes to reach the address as it was on the other side of the city. Nothing - other than a set of wings - could have cut that to 8 minutes! On the other hand, I once reached a call in 42 seconds, it's just luck where you are at the time! (Incidentally, the patient that had the 22 minute wait was in far worse condition than the patient with the 42 second wait, but that's life, isn't it?) Control have never asked why we have taken more than 8 minutes, nor have they ever congratulated us on taking less than 8 minutes. In short, I don't hear from control or management about the 8 minute target from the start of my shift to the end of it, and that's the way I like it. It's quite concerning that crews in other services seem to have this target impressed upon them on a daily basis, why can't management leave them alone to do their jobs? And on the point of crews taking too long to clear at the hospital, Tom is quite right. The known culprits (and they are known - it's hardly a secret that control can track our every move) should be pulled in and asked to explain themselves!