23 06 08
Today Highlands and Islands Labour MSP, Rhoda Grant, has called upon the Scottish Ambulance Service to withdraw any plans to reduce the night shift crew from two down to one as part of a cost saving exercise.
“It seems ludicrous that at a time when the Scottish Ambulance Service is looking at an action plan to eliminate single manning on the ground it plans to implement single crewing on the Air Ambulance Service,” said Mrs Grant, who has been contacted by a concerned constituent.
She added: “I am hugely concerned at the safety implications of these proposals. This move would put patients at risk and I believe that patient care will suffer as a consequence. Given the types of serious emergencies the helicopters attend and the often remote locations single crewing may well mean that it could be difficult to get any casualty unable to walk into the helicopter.”
“Given the rural and remote nature of the Highlands and Islands and the importance of this service to the area, I feel that the status quo must remain and that any proposals to moving towards single crewing should be abandoned.”
Mrs Grant has today written to the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing, Nicola Sturgeon and the Scottish Ambulance Service on the issue.
