AMBULANCE bosses deny that they are failing to meet urgent calls from GPs in Bolton.

New Government performance tables show that Greater Manchester Ambulance Service is one of the three worst in the country in meeting the 15-minute target for emergency calls from doctors.

But GMAS claims the figures are outdated.

A spokesman for the service said: "These figures are based on our performance in the last financial year.

"We recognised that we were falling down on the Government targets for not meeting GP referrals and we have brought in a new system.

"Our new figures now show that we are meeting these targets."

John Burnside, chief executive of GMAS, said he was satisfied with the two star rating the trust had received.

He added: "We have identified areas for improvement, including the less urgent patient categories, and will address these during the coming year."

Bolton GP Dr Ian James showed surprise at the Government findings, saying he had never noticed a long delay for ambulances turning up to meet his patients.

Instead, he expressed sympathy with paramedics for facing impossible journeys through rush-hour traffic.

"It would be an idea to have paramedics on push bikes, the traffic is so bad," said Dr James, a GP in Chorley Old Road, Bolton.

GMAS met its target to reach 999 patients within eight minutes, the Government survey found.