Nicola Sturgeon under pressurepublished at 12:54 British Summer Time 16 September 2021

12:54 BST 16 September 2021

Glenn Campbell
BBC Scotland Political Editor

Nicola Sturgeon has come under considerable pressure from opposition leaders over ambulance delays.

She described as “unacceptable” the lengthy waits some patients have experienced and offered an unreserved apology to those affected.

The first minister has also promised action to support the Scottish Ambulance Service, which she said was facing “acute pressure” linked to Covid.

Initially, she told Douglas Ross consideration was being given to seeking “targeted military assistance”.

But by the time she answered Anas Sarwar, this seemed to have become a firm commitment.

She told him she would be returning to her office to finalise the details of an application for army help after Holyrood question time.

Is military assistance the answer?published at 12:44 British Summer Time 16 September 2021

12:44 BST 16 September 2021

Lisa Summers
BBC Scotland Health Correspondent

The first minister says they are looking at targeted military assistance for Scotland's ambulance service which is under extreme pressure.

Temporary admissions wards would help ambulances offload patients when there is no room in emergency departments.

But with hospitals already working at near capacity, and beds inside the hospital often difficult to find, the question is whether this only pushes the problems further down the road?

Image source, Getty Images

Scottish Lib Dem leader Alex Cole-Hamilton asks what the Scottish government will do to support the ambulance service.

Ms Sturgeon reiterates the actions which her government is taking to address the "unprecedented demand" facing the service.

Mr Cole-Hamilton refers to Catherine White, who waited 15 hours for an ambulance last month and again for eight hours after a recent fall.

He asks when the army will be deployed.

The first minister reiterates that discussions about this are under way.

The Labour leader accuses Ms Sturgeon of "not understanding the urgency of the situation".

He says waiting a week for a statement, waiting for actions and looking at options will take too long.

Mr Sarwar says urgent action needs to happen today.

He asks how much more time the FM and the health secretary need to "fix this mess".

Ms Sturgeon says government is a 24-hour-a-day responsibility.

She says she does not "shy away" from how difficult the challenges are and her job is "not just to describe the problem, but to provide solutions".

Image source, PA Media

Mr Sarwar says that, if the health service cannot handle the pressure pre-winter, "imagine how hard it will be when winter arrives."

He asks the first minister to listen to NHS staff, who are "being failed".

The Scottish Labour leader asks her if she will declare a major incident and draft in the Army to help.

The FM says she is actively considering the detail of a request for military assistance.

She says the ambulance service is working at its top level of escalation - level four.

She says pop-up wards may not be appropriate and is looking at an alternative of temporary admission wards.

Ms Sturgeon says she will continue to try to find solutions and will be focused on this for as long as it takes.

Anas Sarwar also brings up the issue of long waits for ambulances and accuses the first minister of "evading the issue".

The Scottish Labour leader says the Scottish government should not use the pandemic as "cover" for government failings.

He says "no-one should be left to die on the floor while waiting 40 hours for an ambulance".

He asks Nicola Sturgeon how many hours she will take to fix the problem.

Image source, Getty Images

Ms Sturgeon says the pandemic has created the most challenging conditions for the health service since the NHS was created.

She says it is not acceptable for one person, let alone more than that, to endure a long wait for an ambulance.

She says she is seeking to find solutions with the ambulance service.

The first minister adds that "we are facing probably the most challenging winter for the health service and for society in any of our lifetimes" and says it will be the responsibility of the Scottish government to support the NHS throughout the winter.

Mr Ross argues Humza Yousaf is "the problem".

The first minister defends her health secretary, pointing out there are a range of actions already being taken by the government.

Image source, Getty Images

Mr Ross again presses the first minster to admit the ambulance service is in crisis.

He says Health Secretary Humza Yousaf is asking people to "think twice" before calling an ambulance.

The Scottish Conservative leader argues this is "dangerous and reckless".

The first minister responds by saying the ambulance service is facing one of the most challenging set of circumstances it has faced since its inception.

Ms Sturgeon insists what Humza Yousaf was saying is only what every health secretary would have done.

She says where people consider they need an ambulance, they should never hesitate before calling.

Image source, PA Media

Mr Ross asks if the first minister accepts "the ambulance service in Scotland is now in crisis".

Ms Sturgeon refutes this, while accepting the pressure the service is under.

"These challenges are largely caused by the Covid pressure," she adds.

Ms Sturgeon tells the chamber that ambulance crews are "responding heroically to these challenges".

The first minister says: "I apologise unreservedly to anyone who has suffered or is suffering unacceptably long waits."

She points to a number of additional actions that are being undertaken to address the challenges, including more funding and considering the use of the military.

Image source, Getty Images

Mr Ross asks what the first minister has to say to ambulance crews and Gerard Brown's GP who says this is "third world medicine". He also asks what Ms Sturgeon would say to Gerard Brown's son.

The first minister says the case requires to be fully and properly investigated.

Ms Sturgeon adds: "What is reported is unacceptable.

"Our ambulance service is working under acute pressure right now, largely due to Covid."

Douglas Ross highlights the tragic case of 65-year-old Gerard Brown.

According to the Herald newspaper, an investigation is under way after the pensioner, who was found collapsed at his home in Glasgow, died following a 40-hour wait for an ambulance.

The family of the father-of-three say they have been told that the delay cost him his life.

The man's GP - who repeatedly warned 999 call handlers that his status was critical - has branded the current crisis engulfing the ambulance service as “third world medicine”.

You can read more of the Herald story here, external.

Douglas Ross begins by again raising the issue of "scandalous waiting times" being faced by people calling an ambulance.

The Scottish Conservative leader says these delays "cost people's lives".

Ambulance service under pressurepublished at 11:56 British Summer Time 16 September 2021

11:56 BST 16 September 2021

Lisa Summers
BBC Scotland Health Correspondent

This summer, the ambulance service in Scotland has been getting about 10,000 calls a month more than it did last year.

But the crews are not getting to all of those additional patients because there are simply not enough ambulances on the road.

It means the most urgent patients have to be prioritised and paramedics tell me that when the system works, it works well, but sadly there are times when people who do need urgent care are missed.

What this tells us is that the whole of the NHS is under more pressure than ever before.

Hospitals are at capacity, waiting lists are growing, people are struggling to get through to their GP - Covid is only part of the problem here.

Even before the pandemic we were being asked to think about the best way to get the care we need.

Emergency Department heads say about 20% of patients who turn up at A&E don't need to be there and could be treated elsewhere.

The request to the public is to use 999 when you are genuinely experiencing a life threatening emergency, so if you are worried about a cardiac arrest, stroke, a major accident for example.

For other things you are being asked to call 111, staff can make you an appointment with an out-of-hours clinician, or direct you to a GP or pharmacist for example.

But it's not a perfect system and other services are also struggling to cope.

Over the last decade the number of GPs in Scotland has remained roughly constant, yet demand has soared and sometimes people can't get through.

With nowhere else to go, inevitably it is the emergency department or the ambulance service that bears the brunt as they are open for business 24 hours a day.

Image source, Science Photo Library

It's probably a fair bet that ambulance waiting times and when to call one will dominate FMQs today.

Scotland's health secretary has been warned he could put lives at risk after urging people to "think twice" before calling an ambulance.

Humza Yousaf said people should only call for an ambulance when it is "absolutely critical".

Opposition politicians condemned the comments, which were made in a BBC radio interview, as "reckless".

The health secretary told Good Morning Scotland the country is in for "an extraordinarily difficult winter".

Image source, PA Media

The NHS in Scotland is already under increasing pressure and people are facing long waits for ambulances.

The recent surge in virus cases has resulted in rising numbers of patients in hospital, with more than 1,000 being cared for across the country.

BBC Scotland this week highlighted the pressure ambulance crews are under and revealed call handlers are dealing with about 10,000 more 999 calls a month than last summer.

• Read more here
• 'There are so many calls and not enough ambulances'
• Ambulance boss 'sorry' over patient waiting times
• Rise in ambulance waiting times for serious cases

Good morning and welcome to BBC Scotland's Live Page coverage of FMQs on 16 September 2021.

As ever you can watch or listen to the weekly questions session from 12pm right here with us.

We'll bring you reports, analysis and reaction from around 11.40am.