By Steve Bargeton, political editor

THE SCOTTISH Ambulance Service is to get an extra £4.7 million to ensure that all ambulances are manned by a crew of at least two people.

In June health secretary Nicola Sturgeon ordered that the routine staffing of ambulances with just one person must end.

Yesterday she told MSPs that the new cash over three years would be used to recruit and train an additional 40 front- line staff into the north and south-west divisions of the service.

“This will result in a significant increase in the level of the relief capacity the service is able to operate at and ensure that single crewing is eliminated in all but the most exceptional circumstances,” said Ms Sturgeon.

“The service has advised that realistically it will take some two years to have all of the staff required in post to be trained.

“In the medium term, therefore, additional overtime resources will continue to be made available to keep incidents of single crewing to a minimum.”

Ms Sturgeon said the number of cases where ambulances were sent out with just one crew member on board was falling.

“Routine single crewing of ambulances—for so many years an issue of deep concern, particularly in rural Scotland—is now being decisively addressed by this government.”

Addressing a number of concerns about the state of the ambulance service in a statement to MSPs, the health secretary said she had asked Scotland’s chief medical officer Dr Harry Burns to carry out independent evaluation of the system where a rapid response vehicle with a single paramedic can be sent to call outs before a traditional ambulance.

He had reported that, “the use of fast response vehicles to respond to appropriate emergency calls is valid.”

Ms Sturgeon said that she had told the ambulance service that fast response vehicles should always be crewed by a paramedic and that the ambulance chiefs had confirmed that “by the end of this calendar year the rostered crewing of fast response vehicles by technicians will be eliminated.”

Questioned by newly-appointed Labour health spokesman Cathy Jamieson the minister said that the single-manning of ambulances should only take place in circumstances such as “when somebody phones in sick at the last minute and cover practically can not be arranged.”

A spokesperson for the Scottish Ambulance Service confirmed that the new measures will result in changes in remote and rural areas such as the Highlands and the south-west of Scotland. Tayside will not be affected as it has not been rostering single manning for its ambulances.