Villagers who call 999 for an ambulance in North Yorkshire could now find their local doctor turning up on the doorstep instead.

A new tie-up between the North Yorkshire Emergency Doctors and the local ambulance service means doctors will respond to emergencies if they are closer to the incident than an ambulance.

The pilot scheme has been drawn up in response to criticisms that the Tees, East and North Yorkshire Ambulance Service is not meeting its response time targets in rural areas.

It will be tried first in the north of the county, in places like Leyburn, Richmond and Catterick.

Government targets

The 20 local doctors covering the shifts will be using a four-wheel-drive vehicle kitted out with the same equipment as an ambulance.

They will be able to treat patients at the scene until an emergency crew arrives to take them to hospital.

The scheme is part of a move to meet government targets that say emergencies should be reached within eight minutes.

If it is successful the ambulance service says it will be extended to other parts of the county.

It's an improvement in rural areas rather than a halfway-house.

David Archer, North Yorkshire Emergency Doctors

David Archer, of North Yorkshire Emergency Doctors, which has been providing out-of-hours GP surgeries since 1996, says villagers should not worry that they will be getting a second-class service.

Mr Archer told BBC News Online: "It's basically an improvement on the services that are there within the financial constraints that organisations have.

"You will have a fully-qualified GP on the scene as a stop gap. It's an improvement in rural areas rather than a halfway-house."