10,000 one-crew ambulance trips

MORE than 10,000 ambulances have been dispatched with one crew member on board in the past four years despite Scottish Government policy limiting the practice to “exceptional circumstances”.

Paramedics were sent on their own to 2,204 emergency call-outs in 2016/17 — an average of six a day — according to figures obtained by the Scottish Conservatives.

The party said the level of singlecrewed ambulance use is “unacceptable” given the Scottish Government warned against it a decade ago.

Then health secretary Nicola Sturgeon said at the time: “I have made it clear to the Scottish Ambulance Service that it must take action to eliminate rostered single-manning.

“The policy of the Scottish Government is clear — traditional accident-and-emergency ambulances should be doublecrewed, with at least one member being a paramedic, unless i n exceptional circumstances.” There have been a total of 10,029 single-crewed ambulances dispatched since 2013/14.

During that period, the rate has fallen from a high of 3,514 in 2015/16 but remains above the 2013/14 low of 1,644.

Scott ish Conservative public health spokeswoman Annie Wells said: “Everyone accepts that in the emergency services there will always be times where rules have to be bent and people need to adapt to developing situations.

“But for single crews to be sent out on 10,000 occasions in four years — when the specific policy is not to do that — is unacceptable.

“The SNP government has to take responsibility for this. Nicola Sturgeon herself said she would end this practice nearly a decade ago but next to no progress has been made.”

The Scottish Ambulance Service told the Conservatives it “does not routinely” roster staff to work alone in a doublecrewed vehicle.

The service added: “Every effort is made to double-crew all shifts, however there will be occasions when some shifts will be single-crewed due to short notice, unplanned staff absence where additional staffing cannot be arranged.”

Health Secretary Shona Robison said: “The number of instances of single crewing remains low in comparison with the actual number of shifts across Scotland.”

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