A PARAMEDIC has defended his colleagues after a television show said patients are being put at risk by low-skilled ambulance technicians.

Health Minister Andy Burnham made the admission in Monday's ITV1 show Tonight With Trevor McDonald.

The programme, entitled 999 Lottery' claimed the ambulance service is at crisis point because of a paramedic shortage and patients' chances of being treated by a paramedic is based on a postcode lottery.

It also claimed patients' needs come second to ambulance staff meeting Government response targets.

Mr Burnham said: "It's not about meeting targets, it's about saving lives. The eight-minute target helps us save lives and bring improved performance right across the country.

"We don't require the mostly highly skilled consultant to deal with every medical situation and the same applies to the ambulance service.

"The aim is to provide the best possible service to the whole population all of the time and that is what we're wrestling with."

Figures obtained under the Freedom of Information Act revealed that London has the lowest number of paramedics and Wales the highest.

The statistics also show that 49 per cent of Great Western Ambulance Service NHS Trust's frontline ambulance staff are paramedics.

There are 366 emergency medical technicians (EMTs) employed by the trust.

But Phil Davis, the Unison representative for Great Western Ambulance Service NHS Trust, said many of his ambulance technician colleagues have been left upset and angry by the revelations.

He said: "It has caused our staff quite a lot of concern. Our technicians attend thousands of emergencies for things such as heart problems and they do a great job.

"Ten years ago we had a paramedic on every ambulance and since then they have decreased in numbers because the trust has not invested in paramedic training.

"They have put all their money into improving response times."

An accident and emergency consultant told the Tonight programme that the different levels of training and qualifications between a paramedic and an EMT can make the difference between life and death.

Great Western Ambulance Service NHS Trust said it was committed to investing in ambulance staff training.

It said all staff are highly qualified and that discussions are ongoing with the University of the West of England to provide an enhanced paramedic qualification for technicians wishing to qualify as paramedics.

Paul Gatesm, the trust's associate director of operations, said: "Over the next three years, there are plans to increase numbers of operational staff to 826 and we expect 67 per cent of these to be trained as either paramedics or ECPs.

"Great Western Ambulance Service is dedicated to a programme of delivering the right care in the right place at the right time."