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South Central Ambulance Service (SCAS) has announced plans to increase the number of specialist doctors available around the clock.

The medics would travel with air ambulances and rapid response vehicles in Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Hampshire and Oxfordshire.

SCAS said the move would improve survival rates for people suffering serious injuries.

Medical director John Black called the proposals a "win-win" situation.

Mr Black said: "At the moment we only have relatively small numbers of doctors but we hope to have a much more robust arrangement in place over the next couple of years.

"All doctors have got a primary job to do in hospitals and emergency departments.

"This strategy sets out a program whereby the doctors would, as part of their job, have an option to spend a proportion of their time working with the ambulance service as well as in their speciality.

"It's a win-win situation for the whole system and the patients of the future."

The air ambulance is run by a charity and currently relies on doctors, who have other work commitments, to volunteer to be on board.

Specialist BASICS (British Association of Immediate Care Scheme) doctors, who are on call for incidents, are also volunteers.