Turriff residents waiting twice as long for ambulance than other parts of north-east
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Residents in Turriff are waiting more than twice as long for an ambulance as those in other parts of Aberdeenshire, new figures have revealed.
Performance statistics from the Scottish Ambulance Service highlight the challenges facing areas across the north-east.
In life-threatening situations this year, the average length of time taken to respond to a 999 call from Turriff was 22 minutes and 16 seconds.
The figure for the town has risen by almost seven minutes since 2019 when it had an average of 15 minutes and 45 seconds.
Banff and Buchan MP David Duguid recently met with regional director Euan Esslemont who confirmed Turriff was to receive its own ambulance in March.
He has been campaigning for improvements to local health services since becoming a MP in 2017 and held a public meeting in Turriff in August which was attended by more than 150 people covering issues such as ambulance cover.
Other problem areas include Aboyne where it took more than 16 minutes on average – a figure which has risen year on year.
In contrast, ambulances arrived to incidents in Fraserburgh within eight minutes.
Mr Duguid said: “This shocking data exposes how ambulance waiting times have been spiralling out of control in areas such as Turriff since well before the pandemic.
“In life-threatening emergency situations, every second counts, and it’s concerning to see the impact these varying times can have on communities in Aberdeenshire.
“Our first responders do a terrific job, but the response time can often depend on the proximity of the nearest ambulance station.
“This is exactly why I have been campaigning to have an ambulance based in Turriff which would help to reduce these alarming waiting times which residents have had to endure.
“Slow turnaround times and record waits at accident and emergency are also contributing to the lengthy waits facing critically ill residents.
“The extra time could be the difference between life and death.”
