Julie Parker, 55, died this week after collapsing at home in Kilmarnock, waiting four hours for an ambulance. Her brother William Parker, 62, said Scottish Government ministers should "hang their heads in shame" over the "shocking" loss. Police forced entry after the dog sitter failed to answer the door, then called for paramedics on Monday.
Previous Fatal Incidents
Dylan Jones, 28, died five days before Christmas after a two-hour ambulance wait and 13 more hours for A&E care due to a ruptured spleen. The fiber engineer from Glasgow dialled 999 with "unbearable" pain at work. Despite surgery and blood transfusions, his organs were severely compromised, and he died on December 20. His family demanded a fatal accident inquiry (FAI) to prevent similar tragedies.
In May 2020, Graham Anderson, 59, died after an 85-minute ambulance wait. Seven 999 calls were made before he was found face down at work in Grangemouth; he had a heart attack and was pronounced dead an hour later. A probe ruled he had been "overlooked" as a patient.
Elderly Victims
In August 2021, a 94-year-old man died in his driveway after a four-and-a-half-hour ambulance wait in Helensburgh, Dunbartonshire. He had dialled 999 with excruciating lower abdomen pain.
Gerard Brown, 65, from Glasgow, died in September 2021 after a fall at home. A concierge called for an ambulance, but paramedics arrived 40 hours later, finding him deceased. The Crown Office ordered an FAI due to serious public concern.
Delays Worsening
Ambulance turnaround times have worsened by over 600% in six years under the SNP. In 2019, 17,926 ambulances had turnaround times over one hour; this jumped to 126,867 in 2024, a 608% increase. Maree Todd, SNP candidate for Caithness, Sutherland and Ross, said: "The SNP’s plan for the NHS is working."
Over 1,000 high-risk patients waited over an hour for an ambulance in the last five years, according to a Scottish Liberal Democrat FOI request. Across Scotland, 61 purple-coded (most high-risk) callers waited over an hour between 2020 and 2025, with 29 waiting over 90 minutes. The Scottish Ambulance Service said longer response times often relate to lower initial assessments later upgraded.
In February, deaths before reaching hospital surged by 80% in five years. There were 8,780 instances in 2024 where patients died before ambulance arrival or paramedics failed to resuscitate, up from 4,820 in 2019. Scottish Labour’s health spokesperson Jackie Baillie said: "Ambulances are there to save lives rather than certify deaths but too often they are stuck on hospital forecourts."
Taxi Use Concerns
In August 2024, taxis were reportedly used "inappropriately" to ferry patients to A&E. A driver from East Kilbride said: "There are so many ambulances queued up outside hospitals that they need to call us in to help out." The Scottish Ambulance Service cited pressure from hospital turnaround times at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital.
