A PIONEERING scheme to employ paramedics on hospital wards has been axed by health bosses.

The controversial plan which allowed ambulancemen to work "overtime" by patrolling wards at Blackburn Infirmary and Queen's Park Hospital was introduced last June.

The 12-month pilot scheme aimed to reduce the heavy workload of hard-pressed junior doctors.

But health trust chiefs, who were among the first in the UK to test the idea, believe it has now reached "the end of its life".

John Thomas, chief executive of the Blackburn, Hyndburn and Ribble Valley NHS Trust, said the scheme had been a success, but the demand for paramedic help at the hospital had reduced.

Initially, the ambulance staff were employed on the medical assessment unit at the infirmary where their skills were eventually transferred to other hospital staff. This reduced the need for paramedics on the unit and, in February, they were moved to Queen's Park Hospital.

Mr Thomas said: "The work at Queen's Park has been less successful in that there is only a limited workload. Patients require less medical-type intervention than at Blackburn Infirmary.

"The hours that were set for the paramedics were evenings and weekends so as not to interfere with the working hours and roles of substantive postholders.

"The paramedic staff have reported back that there is little work to do and they felt more useful on the medical assessment unit."

Six paramedics stepped into fulfil many routine tasks normallycarried out by junior doctors, including taking blood and ECG recordings.

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