AMBULANCE crews in south Wiltshire are using their "untapped potential" to help cut down unnecessary hospital admissions, by referring patients directly to a team of healthcare workers.

The NHS and social care partnership initiative, launched on Monday, allows ambulance crews to use a central referral line to healthcare workers employed by the primary care trust and social services in Bath, north-east Somerset, Gloucestershire and south Wiltshire.

The initiative follows a successful pilot between the Great Western ambulance service and South Wiltshire Primary Care Trust.

Ian Main, who is leading the project for the ambulance service, explained the system: "Our crews have the training to assess patients to enable them to make a clinical decision as to whether a hospital admission is needed.

"If they consider it is not, but that some sort of health or social care is needed, with the patient's consent, they will be able to ring a central number to organise appropriate care."

Wendy Read, locality co-ordinator for the south Wiltshire urgent care team, said: "Once our urgent care team is alerted that a patient needs support, we ensure a nurse calls on them within two hours.

"Most patients are happy with this arrangement, as long as they are reassured someone is coming out to them.

"That nurse would then arrange a package of support, which could include occupational therapy, physiotherapy, referral to the falls service, the provision of carers, or we can pull in other agencies.

"The main aim is to prevent unnecessary hospital admissions, which are disruptive to patients and costly to the NHS, and to free up ambulances."

Chief executive of Great Western ambulance service Tim Lynch said: "At last, we are realising the untapped potential of the ambulance service.

"This is the beginning of a new era, when ambulance services will be playing a far wider role in the NHS and taking healthcare to the patient."