Shocking stories have emerged alleging seriously ill Fifers were kept an hour or more in the back of ambulances while waiting to be seen at A&E.
The claims led to calls for answers as the crisis facing the health service took another worrying turn this week.
Alex Rowley MSP was called by constituents who claim they had long waits in ambulances OUTSIDE A&E.
He’s had two separate incidents reported to him in the space of a week.
Severely-ill patients say they had to wait in the back of ambulances outside the emergency department of Kirkcaldy’s Victoria Hospital.
Mr Rowley explains: “This is a very serious issue.
“We have people being held in ambulances. And then potentially others waiting on ambulances that can’t get to them.
“How many more are there?
“Last week I had the first person tell me about their experience.
“I hoped it was a one off but now I’ve had another person contact me – who accompanied his dad in the ambulance – to say they waited an hour and a half.
‘One of them was being given morphine’
“These are both people who are severely ill – so much so they had to be lifted from their homes and rushed to hospital by ambulance.
“One of them was being administered morphine.
“This is incredible. We need answers immediately.”
Mr Rowley wrote to NHS Fife Chief Executive Carol Potter, demanding to know the scale of the issue and whether this is having an impact on A&E waiting times.
“I want to know if they logging these incidents and how many times this has happened.
“I think it will be much higher than these two people.
“And if others have had experience of this I want them to get in touch with me,” he continues.
‘Major implications for patients’
“This has major implications for the patients – yes, they are in the hands of paramedics, people who are able to care for them.
“But those same paramedics are there when they should be free to answer other calls.
“It has a major knock-on effect.
“We need answers on the extent of the problem and what they’re going to do about it.
“We’re heading into a very difficult winter and NHS Fife need to be upfront and transparent about the scale of the problem faced.
“It’s not about blaming anybody, we have to tackle these problems NOW.”
Unprecedented demand on services
NHS Fife Director of Acute Services Claire Dobson said like health boards across the country, the whole healthcare system in Fife remains under considerable strain.
“The demands on our Emergency Department over recent months have been entirely unprecedented.
“During particularly busy periods, it has been necessary for a small number of patients to remain within ambulances with trained paramedic staff for a short time before being seen within our Emergency Department.
“In such cases, ambulance crews remain in frequent dialogue with staff in the Emergency Department throughout.
“Our aim remains to provide high-quality care while minimising the time patients are required to wait to be seen.”