Code red patients forced to wait as long as 18 hours for ambulance – Tories

Some of Scotland’s most critically at-risk patients are waiting as long as 18 hours for an ambulance, “terrifying” new statistics have revealed.

The Scottish Tories, which obtained the figures through freedom of information requests, said the figures “expose how patients’ lives are being jeopardised” by a “dangerously overstretched” health service.

Since January 2024, one code red patient in the Highlands waited more than 18 hours for an ambulance while another in the Lothian region waited more than 17 hours.

The Scottish Ambulance Service (SAS) said it was “profoundly disappointed” with the party “misrepresenting” statistics.

It said the average wait for code red calls was just over nine minutes.

Code red patients are those deemed to be at risk of cardiac arrest or at risk of needing resuscitation.

The figures also show within the last year one code purple patient – those who are deemed the most critically ill and most at risk of cardiac arrest – was forced to wait more than four hours for an ambulance in Glasgow.

The Scottish Ambulance Service’s median response time target for code purple cases is seven minutes while its target for code red calls is eight minutes.

Dr Sandesh Gulhane, the Tory health spokesman, described the waiting times as “scandalous”.

He said: “These terrifying figures expose how patients’ lives are being jeopardised because our ambulance service is dangerously overstretched after years of chronic SNP mismanagement.

“It’s scandalous that patients with potentially life-threatening conditions can’t count on getting an ambulance in their hour of need – with some waiting close to a day before paramedics arrive.”

Mr Gulhane suggested the ambulance service had become an “emergency service in name only”.

He said: “Everywhere you look in Scotland’s NHS, one SNP failure is interlinked with another.

“The crisis in A&E led to an estimated 800 avoidable deaths last year, and that, along with ministers’ failure to tackle delayed discharge explains the ambulance-stacking outside hospitals which underpins these intolerable response times.

“Dedicated frontline staff are working tirelessly to keep patients safe, but they are being left with one arm tied behind their back by the SNP.

“Neil Gray needs to take action now. He should adopt our plans to slash bureaucracy, cut middle management and prioritise getting resources to the front line.”

A Scottish Ambulance Service spokesperson said: “It is profoundly disappointing when statistics are misrepresented in this manner.

“Our latest statistics show our median response time for purple calls is seven minutes and 56 seconds and for red calls nine minutes and eight seconds across Scotland.

“We measure response times from the moment a caller contacts us, and the longer response times often relate to incidents where the patient’s condition was assessed at a lower category and later upgraded as the condition has changed.

“It is alarmist to extrapolate the total time shown in the figures in this manner and disrespectful to hard-working teams who care for these patients.”

Health Secretary Neil Gray said: “Ambulance crews responded to 470 life-threatening incidents last week, achieving a median response time of seven minutes and 56 seconds. This is a testament to their dedication and efficiency.

“But we are determined to support frontline services and reduce any delays for patients. That is why we have supported the Scottish Ambulance Service with the recruitment of 241 frontline staff last year, with SAS planning to recruit a further 456 this year.

“We know there are specific challenges, not unique to Scotland, and are in regular close contact with the ambulance service and health boards to help manage pressures and ensure they are taking appropriate actions to reduce delays, including looking at improving patient flow at hospital sites.”