SNP accused of 'gambling with lives' over single-crewed ambulance shifts
Scottish Labour said the situation was getting worse rather than better
SNP ministers have been accused of "gambling with people’s lives" over a rise in the rate of single-crewed ambulance shifts.
Scottish Labour said the situation was getting worse rather than better, 17 years after the SNP vowed to crack down on the practice.
But the Scottish Ambulance Service (SAS) said single crews represented just 1.87 per cent of all shifts, and their use can be “invaluable”.
In 2008, former first minister Nicola Sturgeon – who was health secretary at the time – asked the SAS to ban emergency responders from attending incidents on their own other than in “exceptional circumstances”.
She told MSPs: "The policy of the Scottish Government is clear - traditional accident and emergency ambulances should be double-crewed, with at least one member being a paramedic, unless in exceptional circumstances.”
A freedom of information request by Scottish Labour found there were 2,847 single-crewed ambulance shifts in the first 10 months of 2025, and the rate of single-crewing was at its highest point since 2019.
Single crews represented 1.87 per cent of all shifts from January to the end of October, compared to 1.7 per cent in 2024 and 1.57 per cent the year before. In total, there have been nearly 20,000 single-crewed ambulance shifts since 2019.
Scottish Labour health spokeswoman Jackie Baillie said “It has been 17 years since the SNP promised to put an end to single-crewed ambulances, but right now things are getting worse instead of better.
“Ambulances are often operating in life or death situations, but single-crewing piles pressure on hardworking ambulance staff and leaves patients with less support.
“Once again the SNP is gambling with people’s lives by ignoring another crisis in our NHS.
“The truth is the SNP doesn’t have any answers for our NHS – but Scottish Labour will end the mismanagement and waste and deliver for our ambulance service and for patients.”
A SAS spokesperson said: “With the expansion of key initiatives aimed at supporting patients to access alternative care, such as our integrated clinical hub and pathways team, leading to supporting thousands of patients to remain at home, the use of single crews can be invaluable.
“These single crews represent just 1.87 per cent of all the shifts covered by our staff and are often first on scene to events such as cardiac arrests. They can provide a valuable initial assessment, instigate treatment for patients and assist in targeting the resources we send.
“We, like other public services, experience short-notice, unplanned staff absences and every effort is made to fill gaps through rostered and relief staff, overtime or our bank staff. When this isn’t possible, we would rather use the crew’s expertise for the patient’s benefit than not deploy them.”
A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “Accident and emergency ambulances are only single crew in exceptional circumstances, such as short notice staff absences or a significant increase in demand.
“We continue to support the service to reduce instances of single-crewing.
“Our £437.2 million investment into the SAS – which includes an £88 million increase from 2024-25 – saw the recruitment of 241 frontline A&E and patient transport service staff last year, with further recruitment under way this year.”
The Scottish Government said there is no rostered single-crewing on A&E ambulance resources but paramedic response units are always single-crewed.
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