PATIENTS requiring emergency hospital treatment could be left waiting for ambulances when new working practices kick in next month.

The warning comes after a volunteer was drafted in to cover an ambulance crew member from Swindon who went home sick last weekend.

The community responder, who was only trained in basic first aid, was sent out to a stabbing in the town centre.

But, although he did not treat anyone, one of the town's paramedics says staff shortages are likely to get even worse in the coming weeks.

Phil Davis, pictured, the Unison representative for Great Western Ambulance Service NHS Trust, said management at Swindon ambulance station called on the volunteer because they had no one else available.

And, while he branded the move unacceptable, he expects ambulances to be in short supply at the end of next month when Great Western Ambulance Service NHS Trust officially rolls out a system using fast response cars in an effort to hit the Government's eight-minute target on reaching emergencies.

"I have spoken to the management team and it will be a one-off," Mr Davis said of the volunteer incident.

"It should not have happened really, but we are desperately short of staff.

"We are overworked because the trust has gone with this new team-working scheme and management are under incredible pressure to hit the Government targets.

He says pressure to meet response targets has meant staff have been redeployed from ambulance crews to fast response units.

"Systems are not in place and we are struggling to cope as it is," he said.

"The trust has reduced the number of ambulances on the road in Wiltshire and they have not got the staff in place to fill existing vacancies.

"When we do go live at the end of July our cover will be dramatically cut.

"There should be four ambulances on call round the clock, but I would think on some days recently we have had half that number."

Mr Davis says fast response paramedics, who will treat people at the scene, could be left waiting for ambulances to take patients to hospital.

In March a Health Commission report said ambulance workers in Swindon had the lowest morale in the country and also worked more hours than colleagues at other trusts.

Great Western Ambulance Trust has previously said it maintains patient care at above average levels and has procedures in place to draw in vehicles from other sectors if it is not running at full capacity.

It said is using more fast response staff to try to reduce the number of emergency journeys to hospital with the aim of freeing up ambulances.

No one from the trust was available to comment about concerns over staffing levels.