Twelve ambulances with patients inside were delayed outside a Fife hospital while the deputy first minister apologised for lengthy waits.
An ambulance insider said staff were “stuck” outside Victoria Hospital in Kirkcaldy for more than three hours on Thursday afternoon.
At the same time, Shona Robison was in parliament apologising to patients after it was revealed an ambulance waited at the hospital entrance for seven hours and 11 minutes in October.
Ambulances have to remain with unwell patients if there is no space inside the hospital.
However, delays are hitting response times across the UK.
And it means people calling 999 are forced to wait if emergency crews are tied up.
NHS Fife said it was experiencing considerable pressure on services and patients were prioritised based on clinical need.
It stressed patients were in the care of trained paramedics throughout.
And it said a maximum of four patients were waiting in ambulances at any one time, with the longest wait around 60 minutes.
Fife ambulance delays ‘normal now’
However, one stressed paramedic in Fife previously said some staff were at breaking point.
And when shown pictures of the dozen ambulances at Victoria Hospital this week, they said: “This is normal now.”
Mid Scotland and Fife Labour MSP Claire Baker said she was shocked.
She said: “From reports I’m getting from constituents this unfortunately seems to be an all too common occurrence.
“For the patients stuck in ambulances, this will only cause further distress.
“There are huge pressures on our NHS and ambulance services.
“And with patients in some cases already facing significant waits for an ambulance to reach them, it’s vital time isn’t wasted with emergency vehicles stuck outside hospital buildings.”
The deputy first minister conceded ambulances were taking longer than they should to turn around at the front door of hospitals.
She said patient safety was the top priority
And she added: “I would apologise to anyone who has either experienced any waits for an ambulance to reach them or indeed has had to wait too long at A&E.”
NHS experiencing high demand
Ms Robison said an additional £50 million had been provided to the Scottish Ambulance Service this year.
However, she insisted the UK Government had failed to provide the necessary health service funding.
Claire Dobson, NHS Fife’s acute services director, said not all ambulances were headed for A&E, with most taking patients to other areas of the hospital.
She added: “We are seeing hundreds of patients in our A&E each day, all of whom must be thoroughly assessed, treated and either transferred to an appropriate ward or discharged.
“Most patients arriving by ambulance are quickly transferred to the care of A&E staff.
“Ambulance staff remain in frequent contact with staff in A&E and measures are also in place to ensure ambulance turnaround times are as short as possible.”
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