REGISTERED paramedics who live in the region are being asked to re-join West Midlands Ambulance Service to help treat increasing numbers of patients as the country steps up the fight against coronavirus.

The service has already significantly increased its capacity to deal with COVID-19 patients, but wants to go further still to ensure it can provide care to patients in their hour of need and save as many lives as possible.

Any paramedics who retired within the last two years or are working in the private sector for the likes of events medical companies who would like to return to the NHS are being urged to get in touch.

Former members of staff who have taken career breaks to look after children have also been offering up their services, the trust has said.

Trust chief executive, Anthony Marsh, said: “Over the last couple of years, we know several hundred staff have retired from our service after giving many years of outstanding care to the public.

“We would like those paramedics to consider returning to WMAS so that we can increase the quality and amount of care that we can provide the public in these challenging times.

“Equally, we have already had a number of paramedics who normally provide medical cover at events such as horse racing come to us to offer their services, for which we are very grateful.

“We want to boost the number of paramedics we have available as much as possible, so re-employing former paramedics and those who work in the private sector who would like to join us makes sense.

"Across our country we have seen how much we are all pulling together, from the astonishing scene last Thursday during ‘the big clap’ through to the amazing generosity of companies and individuals towards our staff; now we want to go one step further by increasing the number of paramedics to boost our ability to care for patients even further."

He said to those retired former members of staff that he would not be asking them to return to work if he "didn't think it was the right thing for the public of the West Midlands and our country".

Anyone keen to join the service on a short term or long term basis can apply via NHS Jobs (www.jobs.nhs.uk) and look out for job reference: 217-VN488-19-20.