ROCKETING numbers of 999 calls in Buckinghamshire have forced ambulance bosses to call on an agency to help cope with demand.

Up to five ambulances and medical response cars from private company Medi-Logistics are being used as a "short-term measure" by Two Shires Ambulance Trust to help deal with an extra 9,000 calls this year.

This is an increase of more than eight per cent, and puts the service in the top ten in the country for year-on-year increases of calls.

Call levels in November were up 20 per cent compared to the previous November.

The Bucks Free Press asked if the increase was related to the relocation of emergency trauma services from High Wycombe to Aylesbury in August.

A trust spokesman said there was no clear link. She added: "All our calls have gone up, including category A calls, the most serious ones.

"Members of the public call up because they have an emergency, and these are call figures for across Buckinghamshire and Northamptonshire."

The private vehicles from Medi-Logistics have been in use since the start of November.

They cost 32 per cent more to run than NHS ambulances, but are the only solution to a shortage of staff to cope with calls, according to a trust spokesman. Their use is being reviewed on a monthly basis.

Another batch of NHS staff are due to complete their training in January and 15 new vehicles have joined the fleet of 198 ambulances and medical cars this month.

In September, a Two Shires Ambulance Service worker told the Free Press that staff are driving old, high-mileage ambulances. The ambulance source said: "The ambulance service is falling to pieces. It is in a state. If the public found out they would be shocked."

A Two Shires spokesman said at the time: "All of our vehicles have a full and comprehensive service history which ensure their safety and ability to transport our patients."

Private crews have full access to NHS ambulance stations, including access to personal medical records and drug facilities.

Malcolm Hunter, chief executive of the trust, said: "A number of NHS trusts in the Thames Valley and in Hampshire have used Medi-Logistics, and they come highly recommended. All paramedics have to have their qualifications. It is not that unusual to use these agencies."

He stressed that it was a short-term measure only, and that more staff, together with better education of the public about when to call 999, would hopefully solve the problem.

He added: "I do not think we should be relying on external agencies."