TWO women have defended Great Western Ambulance Service NHS Trust in the wake of a damning Government watchdog report.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) Annual Health Check Report released yesterday saw the trust rated as “weak” for the third year running.

CQC judged the trust as weak for patient safety, cleanliness and waiting times.

But Shirley Hoare and Alice Hayward said they “owed their lives” to the trust’s workers, and added Swindon medics deserve “praise not punishment” for the demanding job they do to against a list of challenging targets.

Shirley, 71, of Buller Street, Gorse Hill, said the town’s health staff will always hold a place in her heart after they treated her husband Terry, who suffered a stroke a week after his 66th birthday.

Paramedics were on the scene within minutes.

Shirley said: “They were in and out in a flash. Terry was obviously in very capable hands and that was a great comfort to me.

“They gave me a truly wonderful gift – three more years with my dear husband. I feel as though I owe my life to them.”

After treatment at the hospital, Terry was transferred to Swindon Intermediate Care Centre where he spent five months before returning home. Shirley said: “I loved him so very much and feel like they gave him back to me.

“I could have lost him that day but I didn’t and that is all thanks to them. I love them all.”

While Great Western Ambulance Service NHS Trust as a whole has been rated as weak in the CQC report, Swindon paramedics are exceeding Government response time targets.

Statistics released by the trust in August showed that in April this year Swindon paramedics arrived at 86.35 per cent of life threatening calls within the national eight minute target.

The national target for arriving at these ‘category A’ calls is 75 per cent.

In May the figure rose to 91.92 per cent and in June medics arrived within the target time on 88.93 per cent of life threatening emergencies.

Alice Hayward, 76, would have died on May 4 this year if it was not for Swindon’s paramedics, who treated her following a heart attack at her Carshalton Road home in Park North.

She said: “My husband Jim said I was out for just minutes but when I woke up the paramedics were there.

“All I can remember is them asking me if I took any medication before giving me a clot-busting drug injection. They saved my life.”

In hospital Alice was told had she been delayed for 30 more minutes she would have died in the ambulance.

“What happened with me and what has happened to so many people in the town goes to show that our paramedics are second-to-none,” she said.

“Maybe the figures we are given by these government bodies should reflect that.

“Standing here today I feel on top of the world. I feel as though the heart attack never happened and I hold Great Western Ambulance Service responsible for that. I owe them everything.”

Alice added she felt Swindon’s GWAS workers should have their response times measured separately from Wiltshire’s in order to give service users a true idea of their success.

CQC spokesman Nick Kerswell said he was prepared to accept parts of the service performed better than others, but said national indicators were a matter for the Department of Health.

Peter Mallinson, chairman of Swindon Overview and Scrutiny Committee for Swindon Council, said: Great Western Ambulance Service provides a fantastic service which they work long and demanding hours to achieve.

“We should feel grateful that we have these people operating in our town.”