First Minister John Swinney should visit a Fife hospital where paramedics are left running a “makeshift ward” outside the A&E unit, an NHS insider demands.
The call was made one day after Mr Swinney set out a series of proposals to drive down waiting times.
The SNP leader said his plans would put Scotland’s struggling health service on a path to “modernisation and renewal”.
Record waiting times and delayed discharge figures have been reported in recent months.
At the Victoria Hospital in Kirkcaldy, bosses urged patients to attend only when there is a life threatening emergency as they struggle to cope with demand.
Ambulances are often seen queuing outside the A&E department with no space inside to accept new patients.
Frustrated medics told The Courier they fears patients could die as they are left unable to respond to other 999 calls.
Now, one source at the hospital says the first minister should visit to truly understand the “reality” of the crisis.
Politicians ‘need to come and see the reality’
The insider said: “[Politicians] can see the statistics and reports in the newspapers but they need to come and see the reality of what we are dealing with.
“Not an organised trip where things are polished, they need to turn up here and see it as it really is most of the time.”
Concerned staff previously told how there was a “makeshift ward” set up outside the hospital as they struggle to move patients inside.
Over Christmas, some ambulance crews were left waiting three hours or more to handover unwell locals.
Speaking on Monday, John Swinney said it was unacceptable that patients are “not getting the right care in the right place at the right time”.
‘Time for first minister to see consequences of failure’
The Perthshire North MSP told an audience in Edinburgh there were “crises” facing parts of the NHS, but refused to say later when asked by journalists if the whole service itself was in crisis.
Kirkcaldy MP Melanie Ward backed calls for Mr Swinney to visit.
She said: “Once again this week we have ambulances queued outside the Victoria Hospital, with paramedics forced to run a makeshift ward outside. This cannot go on.
“It is time that John Swinney came to see the consequences of his failure.”
Asked whether the first minister would accept the invitation a Scottish Government spokeswoman said: “The first minister has made clear he recognises the challenges emergency departments are facing.
“In January he carried out a private visit to Royal Infirmary Edinburgh to see peak winter pressures and how the NHS was managing.
“Protecting, strengthening and renewing Scotland’s NHS is a priority.
“[On Monday] the first minister set out a number of actions to substantially increase capacity and flow through the hospital.
“Advice from those with direct, frontline experience has helped to define these actions – and continued engagement going forward will be crucial.”
Conversation