TOP paramedics have spoken out against time-wasters dialling 999.

Great Western Ambulance Service workers say it is difficult to send the right paramedic to a casualty when the public give false information.

Ambulance control put incidents into categories A, B and C and match relevant staff with the casualty.

But if the public give information exaggerating an injury, a highly skilled paramedic may be sent to treat a paper cut instead of a critical accident.

Service delivery manager for Air Operations Danny Hopkins said: "We are trying to make sure we have the right crew on board our ambulances. If it is serious we send a Critical Care Paramedic.

"We can only rely on information coming from the public so it is important that they are honest. Elderly people, for example, undersell their problems, as they don't want to bother us.

"Nationally we are measured against response times and financial targets, but there is no measure of clinical care.

"It is not just about getting people there; it is about getting the right care to the people who need it.

"Targets don't ask us to ensure we get the right person to an incident."

He said the public often have needs that are valid, but which should not be met by the ambulance service.

"When it gets really cold, we get calls from homeless people who just want to get to sit in a warm waiting room for a few hours," said Mr Hopkins.

Critical care paramedic Mike Page, who is trained to treat patients from a helicopter, said: "We have frequent calls from people who just need someone to speak to or just need to see someone.

"Ambulances aren't a taxi service."

The Great Western Ambulance Service has undergone massive change since Gloucestershire, Avon and Wiltshire Ambulance Services merged.

A Health Commission Survey revealed that Great Western had the lowest staff morale in the country. But Mr Hopkins said the merger benefited responses during the floods, when his team rescued people in an ambulance helicopter.

"In Tewkesbury, we pulled together across the units, which worked well," he said.

"Now we have more resources to draw on."