Ambulance crews in Scotland have been put on red alert as emergency departments centres across the country buckle under demand, with patients waiting up to 12 hours to be seen by doctors.
The level 4 emergency alert invoked by the Scottish Ambulance Service (SAS) is the highest possible state and gives managers the power to cancel staff leave and put all workers on the frontline.
The Scottish Government has said the service is still able to urgently treat patients in a critical condition but the GMB Trade Union has warned the strain could be the tip of the iceberg of a looming winter crisis.
Karen Leonard, GMB organiser for the Scotland ambulance service, says crews are anticipating issues to worsen significantly over the coming weeks and months.
“We are being told it is exceptionally bad for this time of year,” she told the Daily Record. “Crews across the country are reporting the kind of waits not normally seen until after Christmas. This is unusual and alarming.”
“One patient waiting to be admitted to Edinburgh Royal Infirmary spent 12 hours in a vehicle outside A&E last week, for example,” Ms Leonard added.
“Our members are worried and fear this winter could be far more difficult than anyone expected. They are already exhausted but are being asked to work through breaks and end of shifts knowing things are likely to get even worse.”
The SAS said the “significant pressure” on its services was linked to “system-wide” problems including an increase in respiratory viruses and “lengthy hospital handover times at key areas across the country”.
However, Labour spokesperson Jackie Baillie has blamed the SNP for the crisis, calling on Health Secretary Neil Gray to “put down the selection box and get back to work”.
“Yet again, Scotland’s ambulance service has been plunged into winter chaos due to the lack of planning and support from the SNP,” she said.
“That lives are being endangered and staff are having to cancel leave at Christmas is intolerable.”
Figures released by Public Health Scotland show that just 60.1% of patients were seen and discharged, admitted or transferred within four hours in the week to December 15, significantly below the government’s target of 95%.
A spokesperson for the Scottish Government said: “Patient safety remains our top priority. The Scottish Ambulance Service has implemented a Level 4 Resource Escalation Action Plan to ensure that all available resources are used to respond to 999 calls.
“The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring that there are no unnecessary delays in transferring patients to hospital and we continue to work closely with Health Boards and the SAS, to maintain a fast response to the most critically unwell.
“We continue to invest in supporting SAS staff and patients, recruiting an additional 1388 staff since 2020, with further recruitment underway this year.”
