Third of ambulances waiting at hospitals for more than an hour, figures show

Labour has accused the SNP of “dangerous incompetence” after figures revealed more than a third of ambulances are spending longer than an hour waiting outside hospitals.

The statistics, obtained by Scottish Labour via a Freedom of Information request, show that so far in 2025, 33.6% of ambulances had turnaround times of more than 60 minutes.

The party said turnaround times can show where patients have to wait in ambulances because there are not any beds available in the hospital.

The proportion of ambulances with turnaround times of more than an hour has increased year-on-year since 2020, when the figure stood at just 6.4%.

It rose sharply during the Covid-19 pandemic, with 13.9% in 2021 and 26.6% in 2022, before hitting 27.9% in 2023 and 31.9% last year.

The party’s health spokesperson, Jackie Baillie, said the figures showed hospitals are at “breaking point”.

“The SNP’s dangerous incompetence has left ambulances queuing outside hospitals while Scots wait for emergency care,” she said.

“Hospitals are at breaking point and it is piling pressure on our ambulance service.

“This crisis has been years in the making but the SNP has stood idly by while things deteriorated year after year.

“Patients and NHS staff alike are being let down by an SNP government that has no idea how to fix our NHS.

“Scottish Labour will step up where the SNP has failed and tackle these shameful waits by tackling delayed discharge, easing the pressures on hospitals and properly supporting NHS workers.”

A spokesperson for the Scottish Ambulance Service (SAS) said: “We continue to experience pressure on our services due to lengthy hospital turnaround times at a number of hospital sites across Scotland.

“These waits prevent our crews from getting back out on the road to treat other patients, and we are working closely with health boards to support their efforts to improve the situation.”

A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “Ambulance crews responded to 470 life-threatening incidents last week, achieving a median response time of 7 minutes and 56 seconds. This is a testament to their dedication and efficiency.

“But we are determined to do more to support frontline services and reduce any delays for patients – we have seen a record increase in the number of newly qualified paramedics and we have supported the SAS with the recruitment of 241 frontline staff last year, with SAS planning to recruit a further 456 this year.

“This includes frontline A&E staff and patient transport service staff.

“We know there are specific challenges, not unique to Scotland, but we are seeing progress. Waiting lists are coming down, NHS staff numbers are going up and Scotland’s core A&E sites are consistently outperforming those in England and Wales.”