SPENDING on private ambulance services in the North-East and Yorkshire has more than quadrupled to hit £2.9m and £3.5m respectively, according to new figures from Labour.

The statistics were based on Freedom of Information requests to all English ambulance trusts between 2011-12 and 2013-14.

The figures showed the amount the North-East ambulance service spent on private ambulances rose from £639,000 in 2011-12 to £2.8m in 2013-14. In Yorkshire the figure went up from £782,000 to £3.5m over the same period.

During the same time average ambulance response times – the period between a logged call and the vehicles' arrival – increased by 51 seconds in the North-East and 43 seconds in Yorkshire.

Nationally NHS ambulance services across England are now spending close to double the figure on private ambulances when compared to 2012, with parts of the country seeing a ten-fold increase.

The statistics reveal an increase of 82 per cent between 2011-12 and 2013-14 from £37m to £67.5m last year.

Data released earlier this month by NHS England shows ambulances in some regions taking an average of almost four minutes longer to reach patients in a life-threatening condition.

Parts of the country where private ambulance spending is highest are among the slowest responders to calls.

The average ambulance in England now takes six minutes and 36 seconds to reach callers - 78 seconds longer than in August 2011.

Andy Burnham, Labour’s Shadow Home Secretary, said: “These figures show just how quickly the NHS is changing under David Cameron. Blue-light ambulance services have traditionally been considered aprt of the public core of the NHS. It is clear than no part of the NHS is now immune to privatisation.”

A spokeswoman for the North East Ambulance Service said: “While it’s true that average ambulance response times have increased over the last three years, so too has the volume of calls being dealt with by our contact centre. Despite this marked increase in activity, the NEAS remains one of the best performing in the country for reaching those patients most in need.

“To put it in perspective, our average response time to an emergency in 2011 was 5 minutes 11 seconds. In 2014, it is 6 minutes. Both of which are well within the national target of eight minutes.

“Organisations such as Red Cross and St John have been used to a greater extent over the last year, again as a consequence of demand.”