MRS Faulkner, who warned of a crisis in the county ambulance service with the downgrading of Kidderminster Hospital, has stuck by her claims.

And she is convinced more people will die while ambulances are on their way from Worcester.

She fears cases such as Wesley Billingham, who died at his Kidderminster home in June while an ambulance rushed from Worcester, will be repeated.

And she poured scorn on the trust's attempts to meet Government target times by sending out single-response vehicles.

She said: "It is exactly what I expected. It doesn't matter who responds as long as they are meeting the targets.

"These single response vehicles are limited in what they can do. The paramedic cannot move or strap patients and still has to wait for an ambulance to arrive.

"And the targets have made the working conditions worse because paramedics are spending more time on standby spending hours on end in laybys."

"People are going to die as a result of the changes because the previous turn-around time from Kidderminster Hospital isn't there."

"Morale among my ex-colleagues is still at rock bottom. I tell them I still miss the job but they say I am better off out of it."

Trust clinical director Brian Chambers said it had done everything in its power to respond to health changes made by Worcestershire Health Authority.

He said: "We have put on extra resources and we provide an excellent level of service, exceeding Government targets for meeting life-threatening calls (which is within eight minutes, 75 per cent of the time)."

He added the single response vehicles were not a half-way measure.

The system was not devised to be on a par with ambulances but to ensure patients were treated faster.