Scottish ambulance staff receive over 2,000 calls in 12 hours on Hogmanay

Ambulance staff had an extremely busy Hogmanay as they dealt with more than 2,000 calls in 12 hours.

Hogmanay is usually one of the busiest nights of the year for the Scottish Ambulance Service (SAS), and during this year’s New Year’s Eve there was an increase of 2.2% compared the same period in 2022.

The service said its most intense period was between 1.30am and 2.45am, when responders handled 328 calls – around a call every 15 seconds.

The most intense period was between 1:30am – 2:45am where staff handled 328 calls – around a call every 15 seconds.

The SAS has urged Scots to only call for an ambulance in an emergency as staff battle increasing demand with long turnaround times at hospitals.

Julie Carter, on-call executive director with the SAS, said: “The overall level of demand for our service over the festive period has exceeded previous years and Hogmanay was one of our busiest nights of the year.

“Yet again, our staff in our Control Centres, on the frontline and support staff showed what an incredible group of dedicated professionals they are. They are a true credit to the SAS.

“This winter we continue to face significant challenges as a result of the time of year and continuing long hospital turnaround times at some hospitals which are stopping our staff from getting back out on the road to help other patients in need.

“To help our staff, we’d like to remind people to please only call 999 in a life-threatening emergency. If you need urgent care, but it’s not life-threatening, you can call NHS 24 on 111, day or night, or your GP during opening hours.”