Ambulance boss thanks army staff for stepping up to help keep service running

Members of the armed forces have been thanked for stepping up to help keep Scotland’s ambulances on the road as the Omicron wave strained the service.

The army provided drivers when the pandemic forced sores of ambulance staff to self-isolate, with many being drawn from reserve regiments across Scotland.

Now military support is coming to an end north of the border Pauline Howie, the chief executive of the Scottish Ambulance Service, thanked members for their help over the winter when she visited them at Johnstone Ambulance Station in Renfrewshire on Tuesday.

Mrs Howie said she was “delighted” to be able to thank members of the armed forces first hand, and added: “To hear that some are now keen to join the Service is testament to our fantastic, dedicated staff who have been working tirelessly through the pandemic.”

One of those who is thinking about a change of career is Sergeant Nina Dainese, a prison officer from Pollock in Glasgow and a reservist with 71 Engineer Regiment.

“I found it thoroughly fascinating, and I really enjoyed not only working with the ambulance crews but also interacting with the public,” she said.

And for her, as with others who were drafted in to help, the uniform became a talking point for patients and their families.

“There was one elderly angler dressed in camouflage and who had a heart problem,” she said.

“We responded and when he became settled and spotted me in army uniform he asked – are you an angler too?”

Health Secretary Humza Yousaf said: “The Scottish Ambulance Service is the heartbeat of our NHS and the assistance from our military personnel has proved invaluable over these challenging winter months.

“I would like to thank the army as a whole and those who were deployed. Their help ensured the service had the support it needed to perform a crucial role.”