Some ambulance staff have voted against the plans

The Worcestershire Primary Care Trust, meeting in Bromsgrove, backed West Midlands Ambulance Service's proposals over the centre at Bransford.

The service said plans would improve patient care, but concerns have been raised by staff and the public.

The ambulance trust's board will decide on the plans, which have been put out to public consultation, in November.

The service is looking at closing Worcester and Shrewsbury's call centres, and moving the work to Brierley Hill, in the Black Country, or Stafford.

Murray MacGregor, spokesman for West Midlands Ambulance Service, said: "We are very pleased Worcestershire PCT believes this will lead to an improvement in service.

"And this should provide reassurance to members of the public."

He said the PCT which funds the service, was among numerous bodies which had been consulted.

The service claims its plans will lead to faster call answering and help ambulances get to patients more quickly.

Mr MacGregor said the plans include increasing work stations, which receive calls and dispatch ambulances, from 62 to 100 across the region.

Technology updates

However, concerns have been raised about closing the centres, including over a lack of local knowledge when it came to dispatching vehicles to remote rural locations.

But Mr MacGregor said updates in technology which meant callers' locations could be identified meant "the belief that local knowledge was vital for the job was a misconception".

The service also says there would be no redundancies with centre staff transferring to other areas.

However, the union Unison has said the changes would mean existing staff in either Shropshire or Worcester having a longer journey to work.

Union leaders said last week they could have potential support for strike action over the plans.

Only a third of union members voted in a ballot - but 80% of those voted against the plans.

The ambulance trust's board will consider all feedback on 9 October as well as hear from an independent consultant who has been investigating the plans, Mr MacGregor added.

It will then make its decision at a meeting on 28 November.