An ambulance service has been left in an "extremely precarious financial position" by taking a leading role in an NHS scheme to provide temporary nurses and other staff to hospitals across England, the Audit Commission said today.

District Auditor Terry Carter said West Yorkshire Metropolitan Ambulance Service NHS Trust (WYMAS) faces an ongoing £10 million deficit due to problems associated with its involvement in the NHS Professionals service.

Trevor Molton is chief executive of both WYMAS and Tees East and North Yorkshire Ambulance Service (TENYAS), which serves North and East Yorkshire.

However there is no other link between TENYAS and NHS Professionals.

NHS Professionals was launched by the Department of Health in November 2000 in an attempt to offer hospitals a cheaper alternative to the private sectors for bank and agency staff.

WYMAS was selected to help run the scheme due to its success at setting up a similar service locally.

As a result, WYMAS currently provides a service to 36 trusts across England.

But Mr Carter said tight deadlines for the roll out of the service had left the trust with significant financial problems despite additional funding.

He said: "West Yorkshire ambulance service's involvement in NHS Professionals was not properly planned and as a consequence the trust has been left with an ongoing £10 million deficit.

"While the NHS Professionals concept is sound and was in fact endorsed by the Audit Commission as a way of tackling the rising cost of agency nurses, in the implementation of the project insufficient attention was paid to proper operational and financial control."

Updated: 10:44 Tuesday, March 18, 2003