MERSEYSIDE’S ambulance service spends one of the lowest amounts in England per emergency call.

A report released today by the National Audit Office (NAO) shows North West Ambulance Service (NWAS) spent an average of £197 each time it was called out in 2009-10, compared with a national high of £251.

It was only undercut by the North East, where the figure stood at £176.

The NAO report said this showed there was inefficiency in the system and certain trusts could reduce the amount they spend, saving the NHS £165m.

But Ray Carrick, from the Ambulance Services Union in the North West, disagreed.

He said: “NWAS operates on shoestring and I am not putting blame on the management here. “There is not enough funds from central Government so it has to spend less.

“We have such a big geographical area to cover and have the same population as the London service, but get much less money.”

Today’s report also said too much focus was put on response times, adding: “The Category A eight-minute response time target, which is one of the most demanding in the world, has served to focus action on improved outcomes for some immediately life-threatening conditions.

“Its existence in isolation from more direct measures of patient outcomes has, however, created a narrow view of what constitutes ‘good’ performance.”

The report also showed NWAS employs the second lowest percentage of paramedics at 52%, but the second highest of ambulance technicians at 43%.

Along with three others it spends the highest amount on frontline staff– 70%. An NWAS spokesman welcomed the report.