The Australian Paramedics Association (APA) says NSW ambulance crews are struggling with a failing radio network.

Ambulance officers carry portable radios to communicate with each other and hospitals during emergencies, but this system is riddled with blackspots and broken equipment.

APA President Steve Pearce says the system is so bad that it is preventing paramedics from attending emergencies.

“Leaving their partner whilst they are working on patients so they can go back to their car radios and in some cases go to the general public to use their satellite phones,” he told reporters.

“It's certainly been the case that patients haven't got the care that they deserve and lives are put at risk because of the lack of radio infrastructure.

“If a paramedic is trying to save someone's life and actively working on someone and going to use the portable radio on their shoulder and finding they can't get through to the control centre to get help for the patient, it is extremely stressful.”

The APA wants ambulance equipment to be upgraded to the same level as police and firefighters.

Michael Homden from New South Wales Ambulance says the system is being fixed.

“There's been over $36 million in capital funds invested over two years in advancing the system, increasing technology and enhancing communication,” he said.

“We work closely with other emergency services, telcos, the union and paramedics on the current and future state of the system, making sure where we identify blackspots and/or a lack of connectivity, we audit those blackspots and indeed audit the system.”

NSW Opposition health spokesman Walt Secord said the State Government needed to work harder.

“In the 2015 election, they said they were going to create a world-class paramedic service and now we find a situation where patients wait longer and paramedics are put into unfair situations,” he said.