Scottish Conservative MSP Murdo Fraser has slammed the SNP Government for overseeing “appalling” ambulance waiting times in Tayside.
His call comes after Freedom of Information Requests from his party revealed the long waiting times over recent years in the region.
The party’s data reveal the longest wait times for what the ambulance service deem ‘purple incidents,’ which are for the most seriously ill patients. The longest wait since 2018 in Tayside for a ‘purple incident’ was 50 minutes 22 seconds in December 2020.
Mr Fraser says the figures prove that the SNP Government cannot hide behind the pressures of the pandemic and added that they have failed to provide sufficient resources for overwhelmed ambulance staff in Tayside for far too long. The figures come as ambulance staff prepare to go on strike and Mr Fraser says frontline crews have lost all faith in SNP Health Secretary Humza Yousaf, who must be sacked.
Commenting, Mr Fraser, who represents the Mid Scotland and Fife region, said: “These figures are appalling and hugely concerning. Purple incidents are defined by the ambulance service as the most critical incidents, so a swift response time is absolutely vital for patients’ chances of survival.
“The fact that patients are having to wait for so long in Tayside is putting lives on the line and is a damning indictment of the SNP’s mismanagement of the health service. The figures show that the pressures on our ambulance staff have not been confined to the pandemic period, so the SNP Government cannot hide behind Covid as an excuse.”
Mr Fraser continued: “The reality is that they have failed to give overwhelmed ambulance crews in Tayside the resources they have required year after year. Now they have been pushed to breaking point and are set to strike. Frontline staff have lost all trust and faith in Humza Yousaf.
“On his watch, our health service is in crisis and these figures highlight the issues in reaching the most critically ill patients in Tayside. Humza Yousaf is failing patients and staff every single day and First Minister Nicola Sturgeon must sack him.”
