More lives will be lost unless ambulance turnaround times improve, Jackie Baillie has warned, as tens of thousands of ambulances wait hours to drop off patients.

Data obtained by Scottish Labour through a Freedom of Information request revealed that in 2022 alone, almost 25,000 ambulances had a turnaround time outside A&Es of more than two hours.

At the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Paisley, the longest ambulance turnaround time was over seven and a half hours. The median wait time in 2022 was almost an hour.

Chaos for ambulances dropping off patients comes as A&Es face unprecedented pressure, record numbers of patients in emergency departments wait too long for care, and levels of delayed discharge levels remain sky-high.

Jackie Baillie, Dumbarton constituency MSP, said: “These shocking figures show the true extent of the crisis facing our NHS. This is the worst it has ever been and not enough is being done to fix it.

“It is unacceptable that my constituents already facing lengthy waits for an ambulance and the long journey to Paisley are then spending up to seven and a half hours stuck in an ambulance.

“Under Humza Yousaf’s watch we’ve had growing queues at A&Es for treatment, with ambulances off the road for hours trying to drop off patients. This is simply unacceptable.

“Every single one of these waits represents a patient unable to get a bed, whilst another one is stuck waiting at home for an ambulance that will take hours to come.

“Our paramedics work incredibly hard and it is disgraceful that their ambulances are trapped in backlogs at understaffed and overstretched hospitals – and it is costing lives.

“The SNP cannot even get the basics right.

“Scottish Labour is clear – we need action to tackle this crisis not more warm words. It’s time to sort out delayed discharge to free up hospital capacity and consider limits on turnaround times before lives are lost due to SNP inaction.”