STAFFORDSHIRE'S award-winning ambulance service is fighting to regain a contract to ferry hundreds of patients to routine hospital appointments in the north of the county.

For nearly three years, the work has been done by Parkwood Healthcare, which has been in dispute with its workforce for most of that time.

Health officials say the contract will be put out to tender again soon and the trust running the county's NHS emergency ambulance service confirmed it would be putting in a bid.

Since Parkwood took over, the Staffordshire ambulance trust has been merged into a West Midlands 999 trust.

Its chief executive Anthony Marsh said today: "We will be responding to this new tendering process and would want to bring the contract back into the NHS."

The move was welcomed by patient groups and staff leaders.

The multi-million pound contract is let by four NHS trusts – the University Hospital of North Staffordshire, Combined Healthcare and the area's two primary care trusts. It involves transporting up to 600 patients a day to the Hartshill complex, community hospitals and health centres. It ends on July 31 and tenders to run it after that must be submitted by the end of next month.

The trusts will make a decision in May, with the new arrangements starting on August 1.

Soon after winning the work, Parkwood ran into a confrontation with its 90 staff by putting new recruits on poorer pay and conditions than those who had transferred from the NHS.

Despite the crew operating a work-to-rule in late 2007, the dispute is finally going to independent arbitration at a hearing in Birmingham on Thursday.

Today, Barry Barlow, secretary of the Staffordshire ambulance branch of the Unison union, said: "Ninety-eight per cent of the workforce are hoping the ambulance service can regain this contract.

"It would also improve career opportunities for the staff, who would then be working for the same trust that runs the frontline 999 service. They would get a grounding in the work before deciding whether to go on to train as a paramedic."

Ian Syme, leader of campaigning group Healthwatch, said: "The Staffordshire locality of the West Midlands Ambulance trust has very high performance standards.

They would also treat staff with humanity and fairness."

Mr Marsh has dispelled fears that 999 standards would fall when Staffordshire merged with the West Midlands two years ago, saying: "The Staffordshire performance is as good as ever."

Trust resources manager John Wright said: "Being part of a bigger regional organisation, we can also draw on more specialist expertise than before."

The trust last year was named Ambulance Service of the Year for the second year running by the Ambulance Service Institute.

Parkwood Healthcare was unavailable for comment.