Having fewer double crew ambulances will help the Great Western Ambulance Service improve response times.

This was the message given by managers of the ambulance service to a meeting of the Wiltshire PPI Forum, the patients' watchdog.

Concerns have been expressed by ambulance staff about the reduction in traditional ambulances, staffed by two people, and the increase of rapid response cars which are driven by single paramedics.

Andy Weal, general manager, operations, for Wiltshire, told the meeting, held in Devizes last Wednesday that the service was achieving 69 per cent in responding to Category A calls (life threatening) within eight minutes, compared to the national target of 75 per cent.

He said the towns where the service was not meeting the target were Chippenham, Swindon, Warminster and Salisbury.

He said: "We have spread double-manned ambulances where we need them and are introducing more rapid response vehicles.

"We are trying to make sure ambulances are in key areas.

"Our analysis has shown that we need more ambulances in the evening through to the early hours of the morning."

He said the ambulance service was predicting that it would reach the 75 per cent target in February or March next year.

He also said the service was recruiting more emergency care practitioners, a higher grade of paramedic, who can treat patients at home and 30 more control room staff to be spread across Wiltshire, Gloucester and Avon.