FAMILIES who claim they have been let down by the region's ambulance service in the past maintain they are still concerned about its performance.
But East Midlands Ambulance Service has insisted the plan to improve itself is "well under way".
It comes after a national watchdog yesterday revealed EMAS was not meeting four out of six "essential standards" after an unannounced two-week inspection earlier this year.
In a report, the Care Quality Commission said some improvements have been made since a previous visit in March 2013, which uncovered numerous failings.
But it added much work still needed to be done.
The report said the service was not on track to meet response targets for life-threatening calls and that there were times when not enough ambulances were available.
Among those still concerned about EMAS's performance is Stephen Verran, 71, of Shelton Gate Close, Shelton Lock.
He complained to EMAS in 2012 after his wife, Doreen, 73, was left lying on a cold pavement after falling, while repeated emergency calls were made to get her an ambulance.
At the time, EMAS apologised for the "distress" she experienced. He said: "In our case, we were worried it could have become life-threatening because it was so cold that day.
"We've not needed to use the ambulance service since our incident but we've known others, around our age, who have and it doesn't seemed like they've improved very much."
John Page, 63, complained to EMAS after his daughter, Melissa Procter-Blain, 32, collapsed in a Spondon pub in 2009 and later died.
An inquest verdict of accidental death was recorded. EMAS was held not to be responsible for the death but coroner Dr Robert Hunter said he would write to the service to address the issue of why a lone paramedic was sent but told not to enter without back-up to give treatment.
Mr Page said: "The ambulance service, as a whole, is a good thing but I worry it is still not improving."
But EMAS said there were tens of thousands of people who had not been let down by the trust and were pleased to see it making improvements.
Sue Noyes, chief executive of EMAS, said: "We accept we've not always been able to provide the service people were expecting. We're very sorry that's the case and are working hard to resolve the issues.
"However, we must not lose sight of the fact that every day, there are hundreds of people who receive an excellent service and are very grateful for the care provided.
"There are still areas that we need to improve upon – staffing numbers and skill mix, vehicle availability and improving morale. These and other areas will be our priorities over the next year, so that we can move forward in a sustainable way."
Every year, EMAS is tasked with reaching 75% of patients in a life-threatening condition in eight minutes.
Emergencies are classed as either "red one" calls, where a defibrillator is required, or "red two" calls, which are all other life-threatening situations. It must also get an ambulance to these calls within 19 minutes in 95% of cases.
In March, it reached 73.95% of red one and 74.92% of red two calls within eight minutes. It hit the 19-minute standard in 95.52% of cases.
The month before, these figures were at 68.68%, 69.77% and 94.21%.
In response to the watchdog's report, a spokesman for union Unison said it recognised improvements had to be made but "changes were not going to happen overnight".
