LOCAL people who telephone 999 with minor injuries will now be seen by specialist community teams, under new laws announced by the government.

Greater Manchester Ambulance Service (GMAS) backed the plans which will mean paramedics no longer tend to people with injuries such as cut fingers.

During the last 12 months, GMAS has received 196,900 calls which are not emergencies. Examples included someone ringing with a blocked nose, a person who could not stop yawning and a tight bandage.

The government plan, which starts on October 1, will change the way non-emergency "category C"calls are handled.

The move will also mean ambulance services are no longer judged on how quickly they answer these calls, with the responsbility being handed over to local Primary Care Trusts.

The Trusts, via the NHS Direct helpline, will offer treatment and advice to patients at home, while allowing ambulance staff to focus their resources on emergencies.

The plans come weeks after figures revealed GMAS as one of the best ambulance trusts in the country at responding to the most serious emergencies.

The service has also been highlighted as the only ambulance trust in England and Wales to gain a top three star rating from the Healthcare Commission.

GMAS operations director Derek Cartwright said: "Recent figures show our staff are delivering a fine service for patients who need them most.

"These changes allow us to use our resources more appropriately, and help us serve the people of Greater Manchester more effectively.

"There are times when sending an ambulance to a house is not appropriate. These changes will not mean that a caller is ignored, but will allow us and our health service partners to provide the right kind of treatment for the patient.

"They will also mean even more of our resources can be put into emergency care while the options for non-emergency cases are extended."

The changes are also expected to reduce unnecessary hospital admissions, by widening the scope of available treatment.