New figures have proven that the variety of sufferers cancelling ambulance calls as a result of they've made their very own method to hospital has elevated by 670 per cent.
A freedom of knowledge request by the Scottish Liberal Democrats discovered the variety of cancellations as a result of sufferers sourced their very own transport rose from 753 within the 2016-17 monetary 12 months to five,796 in 2021-22.
The variety of incidents the place an ambulance arrived to seek out the affected person had made their very own method to hospital additionally rose, from 405 to 2,330 - a 475 per cent improve, throughout the identical time interval.
S cottish Liberal Democrat chief Alex Cole-Hamilton mentioned it's not clear if the choice to attend hospital with out an ambulance was "a desire or a necessity", as he known as on Well being Secretary Humza Yousaf to supply transfer funding for emergency care.
Accident and emergency departments in Scotland have been underneath pressure in current months, repeatedly recording the worst ready time figures on document, whereas the ambulance service has additionally been underneath well-documented strain resulting from elevated demand.
Cole-Hamilton mentioned: "Folks wish to know that once they name the emergency companies there's an ambulance accessible ought to they or their household want it.
"These figures recommend that an increasing number of individuals could also be having to take themselves to the hospital as a result of emergency care merely isn’t there.
"Whereas we are able to solely hope these 1000's of sufferers had solely very minor accidents that required little or no help, we have no idea if the selection to make their very own method to the hospital was merely a desire or a necessity.
“If 1000's of persons are having to take a taxi to the A&E relatively than wait at house in ache for an ambulance that will or could not come then that's an indictment of the SNP’s dealing with of emergency care.
“The Royal School of Emergency Medication has urged that waits for emergency care could have led to tons of of pointless deaths.
“The Well being Secretary should step up his recreation and supply new funds. The SNP ought to focus their vitality and sources on serving to the ambulance service present the very best service relatively than one other divisive referendum."
The figures additionally reveal a stark drop within the variety of incidents attended by ambulance crews the place their service was deemed to not be required.
In 2016-17, 34,776 calls have been made the place an ambulance was not required however the place the caller was credited with having "good intent", in comparison with simply 5,635 final 12 months.
A spokesman for the Scottish Authorities mentioned: "The Scottish Authorities is absolutely dedicated to making sure the Scottish Ambulance Service has the sources and expert workers in place to proceed to ship a top quality emergency well being service.
"Regardless of many challenges - particularly in the course of the pandemic - together with serving a few of the most rural areas within the UK, in 2020/21 our ambulance crews responded to over 70% of their highest precedence calls in underneath 10 minutes and over 99 per cent in underneath half-hour. Sufferers with severe and pressing situations will all the time be prioritised.
"Elevated Scottish Authorities funding has seen document recruitment of 540 further ambulance workers in 2021/22, in addition to will increase in workers at hospital websites and in management rooms.
"This may make sure the service is working as effectively as doable and has the sources to satisfy each present and projected future demand.
"We're clear that affected person security should stay our primary precedence."
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