THE introduction into Kidderminster ambulance service of a "new age" clot-busting drug to prevent heart attack deaths has been put off for several months.

The delay came after staff raised fears they might not be given enough time to learn to use them safely.

But after a meeting on Tuesday night with senior officers from Herefordshire and Worcestershire Ambulance Trust staff, who opposed proposals to bring in clot-busters within a few weeks, welcomed the imminent arrival of the first phase of the initiative to save the lives on the road to hospital.

The first step is the introduction of telemedicine in the ambulance to enable doctors to monitor from a distance the condition of the patient so advice can be given to the paramedics on the scene.

Later on this year paramedics will be trained to administer by injection the clot-busting drug described as having a proven track record in preventing clots from reaching the heart and causing death.

The combination of telemedicine and the drug is expected to be of special value in an area where it can be difficult for ambulances to get "from door to needle" within a crucial 60 minutes.

Ambulance trust corporate services director Brian Chambers said the scheme was introduced in Redditch recently and was ready to be launched in Kidderminster.

Describing the innovation as "a fantastic step forward" he said ambulance staff saw it as offering a real benefit to heart attack patients. "We are all very excited about it," he said.

Mr Chambers explained telemedicine equipment could be attached to patients and enable hospital specialists to make a medical assessment and give advice.

They would then be able to give precise directions to paramedics despite being up to 30 miles away.

Although no date has been given for bringing in the new drug, Kidderminster station Association of Professional Ambulance Personnel representative Karen Faulkner said staff had received reassurance about timing.

With several drugs now under consideration previous estimates of a few weeks to start use have now been extended to a few months.