A Pembrokeshire paramedic has hit out at performance targets which he says do not accurately reflect the work of the Welsh Ambulance Service Trust (WAST).

Dorian James, WAST Pembrokeshire locality manager, said that Pembrokeshire's ambulances were the highest performing of any county within Hywel Dda University Health Board in March.

However ,he told Pembrokeshire's Community Health Council Committee, that their performance was being judged on whether they arrive at an incident within eight minutes rather than what they do when they arrive there.

The Welsh Government requires that the ambulance service responds to 65 % of (category A) life threatening calls within eight minutes.

As reported in the Western Telegraph, in February 53.8% of ambulances in Pembrokeshire arrived at the scene of category A call within eight minutes.

"We are measured on the eight minutes rather than what we do when we get there," said Mr James. "We often get there within nine minutes and do life saving work.

"If we don't get there in eight minutes we've 'failed', but we haven't because what we have done there."

He added that missing the eight minute target and the associated media coverage affected staff morale "enormously".

"I've got staff who go the extra mile," he said. "The staff are putting the effort in, they are trying their best.

"People take ill on the coast path, they take ill on the beaches, we just can't get there in eight minutes."

Rob Jeffrey, WAST head of operations for Hywel Dda, said that new traffic control measure, such as the chicanes in Bush Street, Pembroke Dock, added precious minutes to journey times.

"Right across Wales we are achieving excellence," he said. "That tends to get lost in the fact that last month we missed 40 calls by 15 seconds.

"They will do a fantastic job but because they got there in eight minutes three seconds they are going to be in the press getting a good kicking.

"The important thing is to get a positive outcome for the patient, not that eight minutes. "

Hwel Dda CHC chairman, Paul Hinge, said that the CHC had had discussions "at the highest level" about the target times about six months ago.

"What do those eight minute targets actually mean? What do they mean for the patient? If they reach the patient in nine minutes and save their life that's the outcome."