AMBULANCE union members have apologised to the public for “not getting to your loved ones quick enough”.

In an open letter, members of the GMB union also call for the South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust’s (SWASFT) chief executive to resign.

GMB claim to represent 13.5 per cent of SWASFT’s staff, including paramedics and emergency care assistants.

Union officers said they collated comments made by their members into an open “apology” to the public, staff members’ family and friends and SWASFT itself.

In the letter, they tell the public: “We’re sorry for the patient and family members that have been left on the floor for hours as a consequence of not getting to you on time.

“We’re sorry you sometimes feel the need to verbally abuse or physically threaten us while we treat your family and friends.

“We’re sorry it appears that SWASFT deployments and performance targets are more important than patient care.”

GMB say they are frustrated that the union remains unrecognised by SWASFT.

Gary Palmer, GMB’s regional NHS campaign organiser, said: "Although we are unfortunately regularly being contacted by members and concerned staff over any number of growing issues at SWASFT, we felt this recent letter on behalf of a group of GMB members particularly summoned up the general despair and frustration many staff currently feel from working within a service and role they love.

"The trust are failing to address major issues and the toll from not doing so is having an enormous effect upon increasing numbers of staff, as they consider whether they wish to remain within this particular ambulance service or not.”

Mr Palmer said that SWAST chief executive Ken Wenman had “lost touch” with ambulance staff and has “lost their respect as well”.

"It’s time for the chief executive to stand down and for any replacement to be clear on wanting to do more to protect and support the trust’s most valuable resource, its own staff,” he added.

The open letter apologies follow a number of high-profile incidents where elderly patients have been forced to wait hours in the cold for ambulances to arrive.

Last month, pensioner June Wyatt waiting for two hours after tripping on Victoria Road and injuring her leg. At the time, SWASFT apologised to the lady, saying that they were also dealing with a “large number” of life-threatening cases at the time.

Today, SWASFT have firmly hit back at criticism from GMB.

Tony Fox, SWASFT chairman, thanked staff for the “excellent job” they do in “difficult circumstances”: “Along with the rest of the NHS, ambulance services across the country are experiencing significant pressure.

“So, it was particularly pleasing that in the last national staff survey, SWASFT had the best results across all ambulance trusts in the country for their engagement with staff, for the health and wellbeing of staff and for the resources available.

“We accept that there is always more to be done and we will continue to work closely with our colleagues and listen and respond to their needs.

Ken Wenman, chief executive of SWASFT, added: “Our staff are our most valuable asset. We simply cannot provide the critical care to our patients without them. We absolutely recognise the pressure that they are under and we are working hard with them and with Unison, the recognised union, to improve resource levels, to improve our response to our patients and to improve the health and wellbeing of our staff.

“We are proud of the way that we work closely with all union representatives on behalf of our staff, including GMB, and so it is disappointing that these comments have gone to the media, rather than to us here at the Trust, especially given the meetings that we have recently hosted with GMB representatives where such concerns could have been raised.

“We would urge the GMB to re-engage and talk to us directly.”