Sturgeon outlines action to end ambulance breaks row

Health secretary Nicola Sturgeon has revealed details of a plan to give ambulance workers more money to compensate for responding to emergencies during their rest breaks.

She told the Scottish Parliament about the trial arrangement after earlier talks between unions and the Scottish Ambulance Service failed to find a workable solution.

Efforts were made to address a voluntary policy which allowed crews to take unpaid rest breaks, during which the control room does not contact them.

But it sparked anger after the death of Mandy Mathieson, 33, who had a cardiac arrest in Tomintoul, Moray, last year. An ambulance technician was on a meal break and did not attend the emergency, even though he was stationed near her home.

In April, Crieff toddler Martyn Gray died when an ambulance was delayed.

Ms Sturgeon said she had decided to impose a three-month trial with new terms. Staff will now be disturbed during a rest break only if it is to respond to a major incident.

In return, the ambulance service will pay an annual fee of £250, as well as a £100 “activation payment”, if they are actually disturbed. The one-off payments represent double the fee proposed in earlier failed talks.

Starting at 6am next Monday, the system will be reviewed through weekly reports.