A lack of ambulance provision in Orkney is putting crews under “serious pressure” and “the public at risk”, it has been warned.
Concerns were raised even before the pandemic that emergency calls risk being left waiting while the island’s only land ambulance responds to other incidents.
But Orkney MSP Liam McArthur warned ministers the situation is placing “added pressure” on paramedics at a time of “extraordinary demand on the NHS”.
His remarks come as Highland and Islands MSPs warned that constituents in their region have suffered long waits for ambulances for years and the country grapples with a waiting times crisis.
‘Single ambulance’
Mr McArthur said having a “single ambulance to cover the entire mainland and linked south islands is simply not enough”.
He shared figures that show the Orkney mainland was twice left without ambulance cover between December 1 2018 and December 18 2019 due to a lack of staffing.
There were also a total of 168 occasions when the ambulance was called out and unavailable to respond to other incidents during this period.
The Liberal Democrat MSP said it is “long past time Orkney had the staff to operate two ambulances” on a full-time basis.
He added that the current crisis is a “perfect opportunity to address that long-standing need”.
‘I will continue to raise these issues’
Health Secretary Humza Yousaf told Mr McArthur he spoke with the chair of NHS Orkney last week but will “continue to raise these issues”.
He added there were “particular issues in relation to rural communities, remote communities and island communities, perhaps haven’t got quite the airing or the focus over the last few weeks”.
The SNP minister has come under fire in recent weeks for the growing crisis engulfing the ambulance service and accusations that the government has been “asleep at the wheel”.
He has been urged to “actually deliver the scale of resources necessary” to see the health service through the difficult winter period.
Scottish Conservative MSP Jamie Halcro-Johnston, who opened the Holyrood debate, said there has “always been unique challenges in providing ambulance cover in our rural and island communities”.
He told MSPs that an elderly constituent, having fallen, was forced to wait two and-a-half hours with a bleeding head wound – for an ambulance to arrive.
The Highlands and Islands MSP added: “And even in other places – where road connections might be considered better – there are also real difficulties.
“From the West of Skye to the nearest major hospitals in Fort William and Inverness is well over three hours by road.
“And yet we continue to see threats to local health facilities in more rural areas.”
‘Dedicated staff’
A Scottish Ambulance Service spokesman said: “Our dedicated staff are working incredibly hard to attend to patients as quickly as possible and investment in additional staff continues at pace.
“Funding for two additional frontline posts in Kirkwall was recently announced, which compliments financial support for an Advanced Practitioner post now operational in Orkney.
“We are continuing to review the case for additional ambulance resources in Orkney as part of our phased investment programme.”
NHS Orkney was contacted for comment.