AMBULANCES in Hampshire could be operated by a single paramedic when answering emergency calls.

South Central Ambulance Service, which covers the county, has submitted plans for greater use of "solo responders" instead of two-person crews, to help meet new response-time targets.

From next April, the trust will be expected to respond to three-quarters of the most serious emergencies within eight minutes of receiving the 999 call.

Some ambulance staff said the move was an attempt to provide emergency cover on the cheap, and that solo responders were not always appropriate.

Jonathan Fox, from the Association of Professional Ambulance Personnel, and the driver of a solo-responder vehicle, said: "We are already hearing of solo-responders transporting patients, but that is not right as you cannot manage the patient if you are driving.

"Solo-responders have their place, but the emphasis now is on hitting the eight-minute target rather than what is happening once you are there."

Sam Oestreicher, from the Unison public services union, said the plan could "potentially put patients at risk".