As the frontline of the NHS in Scotland and with over 5000 members of staff, we provide an emergency ambulance service to the Scottish population of over 5 million people, serving all of the nation’s mainland and island communities.
The Scottish Ambulance Service responds to approximately 1.8 million calls for emergency and non-emergency assistance each year and we attend over 700,000 emergency and unscheduled incidents each year, coordinated from our three Ambulance Control Centres.
Our Special Operations Response Teams respond to around 1200 calls requiring specialist intervention in hazardous environments and supported approx. 9000 emergency calls. Our Air Ambulance Service undertakes around 3500 missions and we co-ordinate the delivery of the ScotSTAR specialist Transport and Retrieval Service for Scotland which transfers over 2500 of the most seriously ill patients to access specialised treatment.
We transfer over 50,000 patients between hospitals each year, and our Patient Transport Service takes over 600,000 patients to and from scheduled hospital appointments each year. It provides care for patients who need support to reach their healthcare appointments due to their medical and mobility needs.
We are helped by over 1500 volunteers working in roles such as Community First Responders and Sandpiper Wildcat Cardiac Responders. We also provide command and control along with emergency cover at certain major and high profile events, such as the Commonwealth Games, the European Championships and Scottish Rugby.
At a Glance
- 1 National Ambulance Service for Scotland
- 3 Operational Ambulance Regions
- 1 National Operations Division – National Risk and Resilience, Special Operations Response teams, Scotstar and Ambulance Control
- UK’s only integrated Air Ambulance Service
- Over 200 stations/bases all over Scotland
- Over 1500 vehicles – including:
- 670 Accident and Emergency Ambulances and 60 Paramedic/Rapid Response Units
Towards 2020: Taking Care to the Patient
The Scottish Ambulance Service recognises that it’s significant contribution towards the effective delivery of the Scottish Government 2020 vision as a frontline service providing emergency, unscheduled and scheduled care 24/7. This five-year strategic framework shows how we have delivered that in a way that supports the national NHS Scotland quality ambitions for person-centred, safe, and effective care.
Our objectives:
- Save more lives
- Working together for Better Patient Care
- Building on Successful Partnerships and Collaborations
- Delivering Improved Outcomes
- Responding to Patients’ needs
- Developing our Workforce for the future
By 2020 we aim to:
- improve access to healthcare;
- improve outcomes for patients – specifically cardiac, trauma, stroke, mental health, respiratory, frailty and falls;
- evidence a shift in the balance of care by taking more care to the patient;
- enhance our clinical skills as a key and integral partner working with primary and secondary care;
- develop our Service as a key partner with newly formed Integration Boards;
- collaborate with other partners including the voluntary sector and the other blue light emergency services as part of a contribution to shared services and public service reform;
- build and strengthen community resilience;
- expand our diagnostic capability and use of technology to improve patient care; and
- develop a more flexible, responsive and integrated scheduled Patient Transport Service.
