FM: It would have been ‘preferable’ if ambulance attended scene of girl’s death
FIRST Minister John Swinney has said it would have been “preferable” if an ambulance had been able to attend an incident in which a one-year-old girl was struck by a car.
Ivy Mae Ross died after being hit by a Land Rover in a church car park in Balmedie, Aberdeenshire, last week.
North East Scotland MSP Douglas Lumsden said that at the time of the incident, ambulances in the area were “all stacked up outside Aberdeen Royal Infirmary” and unable to attend.
As a result, he told the First Minister the Scottish Ambulance Service sent its Special Operations Response Team (Sort), which normally deals with hazardous incidents.
Raising the issue during First Minister’s Questions at Holyrood yesterday, Mr Lumsden stressed those sent to the scene had done a “fantastic job”, adding he does not believe the “outcome would have been different if a regular ambulance crew was available”.
But he said: “This tragic incident should be a wake-up call to the Scottish Government.
“Will the First Minister intervene and do all he can to stop ambulances queuing for hours on end to drop off patients at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary?”
Mr Swinney expressed his “deepest sympathy” to the infant’s family, and said not all the ambulances had been “stacked” outside the hospital, adding that some crews had been out on other calls.
He added: “Obviously it would be preferable and desirable for there to be ambulance crews available to attend.
“This is an important reminder of the importance of ensuring there is a very swift transfer of patients at hospitals to make sure the ambulance capacity we have is available to be deployed where it requires to be deployed.”
He vowed he will raise the issue with bosses at the local health board.