THERE will be more patient deaths in the South West if extended ambulance response times are introduced, a union has claimed.

Last week, the Government unveiled pilot plans to lengthen response times in the South-West and London by two minutes in a bid to cut the number of wasted ambulance journeys.

Currently, call handlers have one minute to gather the information needed, but under the plans 999 call centres will have up to two minutes longer to get the information.

Clinical experts say extending the time for nonthreatening calls will reduce the number of double dispatches where more than one vehicle is sent, freeing up more ambulances and allowing the 999 response to be targeted better.

But the GMB union for ambulance staff said it will make matters worse for Accident & Emergency structures, which they say are already at breaking point.

Tony Hughes, GMB regional officer, said: “These pilots in London and the South-West are ridiculous and will only serve to bring worse outcomes for patients.

“We’ll see people die more often than at the moment from conditions which can be treated if the right resource is got to them in good time.

“The whole of the A&E structures are at breaking point due the changes this Government has already made.”

The South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust said it was delighted to have been chosen for the pilot.

A statement said: “The clinical work we have already undertaken to support this pilot has shown there is significant evidence to suggest patients will benefit. Where a call is not immediately life-threatening, giving call handlers extra assessment time will ensure that we make the right decision for our patients, therefore providing the best possible care.

“It is also expected that our ambulances will be better deployed to where they are most needed and allow a faster response time for those patients who really need it.”

Professor Keith Willett, national director for Acute Care, said: “On medical grounds we believe this will increase the availability of ambulance vehicles and paramedic staff, providing patients with a better service and improving their chances of survival, especially those with the most serious conditions.

“It’s not about relaxing standards. By acting with slightly less haste on calls we believe we can get to more patients with more speed.”

The pilot schemes are due to start in February