Borders MSP Rachael Hamilton has warned that the SNP must get a grip of ambulance waiting times, as long waits are putting peoples’ lives at risk.
Recently released figures from the Scottish Government have shown that the total number of people waiting over two hours for an ambulance has risen by more than 800% in four years.
A Freedom of Information request revealed that over 40,000 emergency callers waited more than 120 minutes for an ambulance in 2021-22, compared with around 17,300 in the previous year, 14,800 in 2019-20 and just 4,438 four years ago.
This includes a fivefold rise in the number of the most serious ‘red’ and ‘purple’ incidents – which include heart attacks and strokes – where patients waited over two hours for a response since 2018. The target time is eight minutes.
In total, 46,656 critically ill ‘red’ and ‘purple’ patients waited over ten minutes to be seen in 2021-22, 40% of all call outs in the category.
Ms Hamilton added that the figures showed waiting times were already on the rise before the pandemic, and that Borderers have been expressing concerns about the time it takes for stretched ambulance services to respond to calls.
Rachael Hamilton MSP said:
“The data I have seen on ambulance wait times show that this is not something the SNP can simply blame on the pandemic. The problems predate that.
“This just adds to the long list of areas that the SNP have been letting down our NHS.
“Ambulance waiting times paint part of a wider picture. The problems our NHS is facing go much further.
“These delays inevitably lead to more suffering for patients and, ultimately, avoidable deaths.
“Ambulance crews should be able to reach emergency patients within eight minutes. If they have to wait longer, their lives could very much be in danger.
“I have written to the Health Secretary twice in recent weeks about staffing concerns and the provision of non-urgent care. But I will not let up until something is done about it. Our brilliant NHS staff deserve so much better from the Scottish Government.”
