Ambulance service responded to 2,006 calls in 12-hour period at new year

Ambulance staff faced one of their busiest nights of the year on Hogmanay, with more than 2,000 calls in a 12-hour period.

The Scottish Ambulance Service (SAS) said the level of demand during the 2023 festive period overall “exceeded” previous years.

Between 7pm on December 31 and 7am on January 1, ambulance control centre staff responded to 2,006 calls.

Compared to the same period in 2022/23, that was a 2.2% increase in demand.

The SAS has urged Scots to only call for an ambulance in an emergency as staff battle increasing demand with long turnaround times at hospitals.

Julie Carter, on-call executive director at the SAS, said: “The overall level of demand for our service over the festive period has exceeded previous years and Hogmanay was one of the busiest nights of the year.

“Yet again, our staff in our control centres, on the front line and support staff showed what an incredible group of dedicated professionals they are. They are a true credit to the SAS.

“This winter we continue to face significant challenges as a result of the time of year and continuing long hospital turnaround times at some hospitals, which are stopping our staff from getting back out on the road to help other patients in need.

“To help our staff, we’d like to remind people to please only call 999 in a life-threatening emergency. If you urgently need care, but it’s not life-threatening, you can call NHS 24 on 111, day or night, or your GP during opening hours.”