DYING TO GET TO HOSPITAL

Number of patients losing lives before reaching A&E jumps 80%

- By ANDREW QUINN

The number of patients dying before they reach hospital by ambulance has surged by more than 80 per cent in the past five years.

There were 8780 instances in 2024 where the patient died either before an ambulance arrived or paramedics failed to resuscitate them, a Scottish Labour Freedom of Information Request found.

This was an increase of 82.2 per cent in 2019 when there were 4820 deaths.

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 rather than responding to calls.

"These figures show the true toll of the SNP's failure to reduce waiting times - thousands of patients are dying before they ever get a chance to enter a hospital ward. Our NHS needs a new direction and Scottish Labour is ready to deliver it."

In December, the Scottish Ambulance Service warned critically-ill patients might have to wait longer for help due to lengthy hospital handover times.

In 2019, there were 3497 incidents where the time of death was unknown.

This jumped to 5681 in 2024 - a rise of 62.5 per cent.