Call to fix Aberdeen ambulance wait crisis after Torphins mum had to fight to save baby's life

The First Minister has been warned that the Scottish Ambulance Service is plunging further into a "winter ticking timebomb" after its chief executive said "little meaningful progress" has been made to fix Aberdeen’s queues crisis.

Calls come after a family from Torphins had to fight to save their baby’s life during a traumatic long wait for an ambulance by performing CPR while receiving over-the-phone instructions from 999 call handlers in Yorkshire.

At First Minister’s Questions, North East MSP Tess White said the deepening problem of ambulance stacking outside Aberdeen Royal Infirmary (ARI) is putting lives at risk this winter.

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It follows repeated instances of emergency vehicles being forced to wait for up to four hours outside Aberdeen Royal Infirmary before handing over patients.

As well, a former NHS Grampian health worker said that in one case a patient was taken to hospital by paramedics at 6pm and still hadn’t been admitted by 1.30am so they ordered pizza from a nearby late-night takeaway.

Scottish Ambulance Service chief executive Michael Dickson previously revealed that frontline crews across the North East are demoralised by the current state of affairs.

In her question to First Minister John Swinney, Scottish Conservative North East MSP Tess White asked: "First Minister, I have repeatedly raised NHS Grampian’s ambulance stacking crisis in this chamber, and I have been assured by this SNP government that action is being taken to address it.

"But this week, the chief executive of the Scottish Ambulance Service has warned there has been ‘little meaningful progress’ towards reducing long waits for ambulances outside ARI’s A&E.

"Enough is enough, First Minister. Lives are at stake, especially as winter approaches. What urgent action is the Scottish Government going to take with NHS Grampian to fix this mess?"

In his response, Mr Swinney said: "Let me assure Tess White that the government is very focussed on addressing the issues which contributes to the problem that Ms White has raised with me."

Tess White MSP later said: "John Swinney is completely disconnected from the reality of the crisis facing the Scottish Ambulance Service in the North East.

"He hopes as each day passes, this deeply worrying trend of ambulance stacking at ARI will magically disappear – but it won’t.

"We are seeing the horrifying impact of this on patients who, despite being in a serious condition, still can’t access an ambulance.

"This was seen recently in Torphins when a family were forced to perform CPR on their new-born while receiving instructions from 999 call handlers hundreds of miles away in Yorkshire.

"At a time when ambulance staff morale is at an all-time low, John Swinney must urgently get a grip of this winter ticking timebomb before lives are lost."