Ambulance equipment faults at record high, figures show

The number of faults reported with ambulance equipment in Scotland reached a record high in 2024 as issues skyrocketed by more than 1,600%, figures show.

A total of 111 equipment faults were recorded in 2007, but that surged to 1,907 in 2024 – a rise of 1,618%.

The figures, from a series of freedom of information requests to health boards by the Scottish Liberal Democrats, have been described by the Scottish Ambulance Service (SAS) as “misleading”.

It said staff have been encouraged to report any faults, no matter how small, which has resulted in an increase in reports.

The data provided to the Lib Dems shows a post-Covid boom in the number of faults reported.

Between 2007 and 2019, the number of recorded incidents went from 111 to 691.

But from 2020, this surged from 749 to 1,907 in 2024.NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde accounted for nearly half of last year’s faults at 934, while NHS Lanarkshire recorded 238, NHS Ayrshire and Arran 149, and NHS Dumfries and Galloway 116.

Since the SNP came to power in 2007, 13,568 faults with ambulance equipment have been recorded, according to the data.

In NHS Highland, ambulance equipment faults have increased by 2,966% since 2007, as they went from just three then to 92 last year.

A previous FOI from the Lib Dems found ambulances spent the equivalent of 41 years waiting to unload and depart from hospitals in 2024.

The figure, which amounted to 361,753 hours, represented more than a 10% increase from 2022 when the total turnaround time was 322,828 hours.

Alex Cole-Hamilton, leader of the Scottish Lib Dems, described the rise in equipment issues as “worrying”.

He said: “Ambulances and their crews save lives, with vital medical kit like defibrillators, stretchers and oxygen cylinders all on board. That’s why it’s worrying to see so many problems being reported with equipment.

“While it may be that increases in faults are partly due to staff being encouraged to report more, the bottom line is that paramedics must be able to rely on their equipment.

“For almost two decades, they have been let down by a slew of SNP ministers who have no idea how to help them.

“My party wants to make sure that staff have the equipment that they need to put their lifesaving skills to use.

“Scottish Liberal Democrats would also support our first responders by addressing underlying problems in the health service, from social care to local health care.

“That’s how we can bring down things like ambulance waits and put staff back on an even keel.”

A spokesperson for the SAS said: “It is misleading to present these statistics this way.

“There has been no reduction in any vehicle or vehicle-based equipment maintenance arrangements and frequency, scope, training, and funding have all remained consistent or have been enhanced through learning opportunities.

“We continually encourage staff to report events and issues, irrelevant of how small, and this has resulted in an increase in issues being reported.”

On turnaround times, the SAS previously said: “We continue to experience significant pressure on our services due to lengthy hospital turnaround times at a number of hospital sites across Scotland.

“These waits prevent our crews from getting back out on the road to treat other patients, and we are working closely with health boards supporting their efforts to improve the situation.”

A spokesperson for the Scottish Government said: “We continue to invest significantly in the Scottish Ambulance Service.

“In the year ahead, SAS will receive £437.2 million – an increased investment of £88 million compared to 2024-25, which includes funding for equipment, vehicles and vital frontline services.”