Ambulances waited outside Scottish hospitals 'for 41 years' in 'devastating' delays

The data, released by the Scottish Ambulance Service after a freedom of information request, reveals it took ambulances a total of 361,753 hours to unload and depart from hospitals last year.

The figure represents a more than 10 per cent increase from 2022 when the total turnaround time was 322,828 hours.

NHS Grampian recorded the single highest turnaround time in 2024, with an ambulance waiting at a hospital in the area for 16 hours and 42 minutes. NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde saw a total turnaround time for ambulances of 78,248 hours in 2024. This figure was 44,741 hours in NHS Lothian and 26,346 hours in NHS Fife.

Ambulances outside the accident and emergency department at the Victoria Hospital in Kirkcaldy, Fife. Ambulances waited outside hospitals for the equivalent of more than 41 years in 2024, figures show. Picture: Jane Barlow/PA Wire

The Scottish Liberal Democrats, who obtained the figures, said the delays mean patients are not receiving the care they need.

MP Christine Jardine said the Scottish Government must fix problems at “both the front door and the back door” of the NHS.

She said: “These are devastating delays. They reflect all those people who have waited in agony for an ambulance to arrive, frightened that one may never come.”

A spokesperson for the Scottish Ambulance Service said: “We continue to experience significant pressure due to lengthy turnaround times at a number of hospitals. These waits prevent our crews from getting back out on the road to treat other patients, and we are working closely with health boards supporting their efforts to improve the situation.”