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SCOTLAND’s ambulance service is being forced to make millions of pounds of savings in a move paramedics fear could put patient safety at risk.
Newly published documents show the Scottish Ambulance Service (SAS) is under pressure to save more than £8.6 million.
At a recent meeting, bosses pledged to ‘identify operational practice efficiency’ and carry out ‘detailed reviews of the deployment of emergency resources’.
But paramedics and health campaigners said such jargon masked a potentially disastrous plan to reduce the number of ambulances available for 999 calls.
The SAS last week published minutes from its most recent board meeting. Among the costcutting proposals was a plan to redirect people who call 999 to a telephone advice line instead of sending emergency units.
Officials admitted it was ‘likely’ that the basics of the service would change. They also warned of an ‘unsustainable financial position’ if millions are not saved.
The 2017-18 budget revealed a savings target of £8.652 million, or 3.77 per cent of the overall annual spend. A further £15 million of savings through ‘collaborating with local health board colleagues’ has been ordered.
But the report also called for ‘detailed reviews of the deployment of emergency resources’.
It said: ‘The scale of the challenge facing support services should not be underestimated. Most plans are well advanced.
‘However, the scale of the saving required will require smarter ways of working in order that support to frontline services is not diminished.’
Asked what ‘smarter ways of working’ would involve, the spokesman admitted this is still undecided.
The SAS claimed its decisions will improve patient care, but yesterday critics warned policies were being dictated by cost. A paramedic with more than 30 years’ experience said: ‘This will save money – but cost lives. They are constantly looking at ways to downgrade calls and it is clear not every 999 call will be treated as an emergency.’
Scottish Tory health spokesman Donald Cameron said: ‘Talk of having to make £8 million of savings will be alarming for patients and staff.
‘This review can’t be used as an excuse to simply cut vehicle numbers and have fewer paramedics.’
An SAS spokesman said: ‘The budget supports the service’s core business transformation as we explore new ways of working to enhance and utilise the clinical skills of our staff, expand our diagnostic capability, strengthen community resilience and improve access to safe and effective person-centred care.’