Police routinely driving patients to hospital because 'ambulance is going to be hours'

Scotland’s ambulance crisis has resulted in around 30 patients being driven to hospital in police cars or vans in recent months.

The figures, revealed by the Scottish Police Federation in their magazine 1919, led opposition parties to claim the service was “on its knees”.

Reports handed in to the union for rank and files officers included a man being taken to hospital after a suicide attempt when no ambulance was allocated, as well as a man who was bleeding from the inner ear and head following an assault and faced at least a three-hour wait for an ambulance, and an older person who was bleeding heavily after a dog bite but was told there was no ambulance available to attend.

Gordon Forsyth, the SPF’s assistant to the general secretary (health and safety), said:

“Cops out there are taking people to hospital in the back of police cars simply because the ambulance is going to be hours, or there isn’t anybody suitable to leave the person with and stand down.

“I’ve got a list of 30-odd examples, various things where the cops have been sent to calls because an ambulance hasn’t been available, or having to wait for a significant period of time for an ambulance to get there.

“It all goes back to the question of where does the policing responsibility stop and start?”

Another report handed into the officer’s union stated that a single paramedic who attended an incident to deal with a male with injuries asked police to drive his vehicle so he could continue treating the patient en route to the hospital. 

And in another incident, a family concerned about a relative contacted both their GP and the ambulance service, but were told to call the police instead, with officers then having to take him to hospital.

Chief constable Iain Livingstone described policing as “the service of first and last resort” and said police would “never step away from those who are in crisis”.

“This applies across substance addiction, mental health, medical care, and many other vulnerabilities and concerns that our citizens and communities have, in addition to criminality,” he said at the most recent Scottish Police Authority board meeting.

“It is the challenge of all in public service to ensure people get the right help at the right time and all necessary support is available on a sustainable, continued basis.

“I recognise the pressures which exist across many other services, agencies and sectors. We know that when the health service, local authorities and other key partners come under significant strain, demand is diverted to policing. Additionally, delays in service provision by other agencies also mean officers and staff can spend longer dealing with an incident than would otherwise be the case.”


Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton said: "Police officers will be the first to tell you they will do their best but simply aren’t equipped or trained for this job. 

"They shouldn’t have shifts consumed by serious medical incidents.

“The pressure on emergency care is painfully clear, with long waits, the deployment of the military and now police officers saying they have had to provide cover too. 

“It is a symptom of a service on its knees because SNP ministers ignored the warnings.”

Tory MSP Dr Sandesh Gulhane said: “I applaud our brave police officers for stepping up to offer support, but it highlights an ambulance service that is still at complete breaking point.

“We also cannot have vital police work being disrupted as a result of our ambulance service not having the resources they require.”

A spokesperson for the Scottish Ambulance Service said: “Police officers are only requested to attend cardiac arrest calls as a first response in the north of Scotland and they are immediately backed up by an ambulance resource.

“This is line with pre-pandemic co-responding agreements. In no other situation would police officers attend ambulance 999 calls or be asked to transport patients to hospital.”