Fife hospital chaos as images show ambulances queued outside

New images reveal the extent of A&E chaos in Fife as the health board admits it is facing considerable pressure.

Eight ambulances were queued up outside the Kirkcaldy hospital accident and emergency department on Wednesday afternoon.

Staff say it has become the norm for patients to face lengthy waits outside the hospital on board ambulances.

Director of acute services Claire Dobson conceded some patients may have to wait inside an ambulance but said the majority are quickly transferred.

One source said most patients would experience a delay. Image: Steve Brown/DC Thomson.

“The majority of patients arriving by ambulance are quickly transferred to the care of hospital staff,” she said.

But a Fife ambulance source disputed this, saying most patients will experience a delay.

“Nearly every patient will experience some kind of wait,” the source said

New figures appear to back this up. They show that throughout December some ambulance crews in Kirkcaldy waited hours to hand over patients.

In the week commencing December 23, several locals taken to hospital by ambulance waited in excess of three hours.

Crews are waiting hours to hand over some patients. Image: Steve Brown/DC Thomson.

Fifty per cent of patients waited at least an hour before they could even enter the hospital.

The most recent data shows the worst waits in the week commencing December 30 were slightly improved at over two hours.

It means ambulance crews are unable to make themselves available to attend new emergencies, delaying response times to critically unwell patients.

NHS Fife experiencing ‘considerable pressure’

NHS Fife is asking local residents only to use A&E for life-threatening emergencies.

Ms Dobson said: “We are experiencing considerable pressure on our services currently.

“Our A&E is seeing high demand, with a significant proportion of those presenting are acutely unwell and require inpatient care.

“We are also seeing high numbers of patients each day referred to the acute hospital via GPs and NHS 24.”

Fife health chiefs are asking the public to call NHS 24 on 111 if they need urgent but not life-threatening care.

Residents have also been asked to check the NHS Inform symptom checker for information on common symptoms and what to do before attending A&E.

Ms Dobson added: “During peak demand some patients may wait within ambulances with trained paramedic staff before being transferred to the care of our A&E.

“Ambulance staff remain in frequent contact with staff in A&E and measures are also in place to ensure ambulance turnaround times are as short as possible.”