FOI 25-187 Turnaround Times over 45 mins
Freedom of Information Request
- Reference
- FOI 25-187 Turnaround Times over 45 mins
- Request Date
- 23 Apr 2025
- Response Date
- 13 May 2025
- Information Requested
I am keen to understand the total number of lost time due to ambulance turnaround times.
As such, can you provide the following for the calendar years 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025 (most recent):
1. On how many occasions did an ambulance turnaround take longer than 45 minutes?
2. In hours:minutes format, what is the total amount of time lost by ambulance turnaround times that took longer than 45 minutes?- Response
The Service does record turnaround times, which is from when an ambulance arrives at hospital to the point of departure. These turnaround times are affected by a wide range of factors, including ambulance staff cleaning vehicles following patient transportation, supporting the ongoing care of the patient and on occasions providing statements to the police.
These turnaround times ARE NOT comparable to the handover times of other UK Ambulance Trusts.
Our local management teams are working closely with Health Boards to ensure that ambulances are released as quickly as possible.Please see the attached sheet detailing the total number of conveyances for each year requested and the total number of conveyances with a turnaround time over 45mins.
Public authorities are not required to create information in order to answer a request. There’s a distinction
between creating new information, and compiling information. Where a request can be answered by
compiling information from readily-available resources held by the public authority, this is not the same as
creating new information. However, if collation of the information would require skill and complex
judgement, the information is not held.
The Scottish Ambulance Service does not have a definition of ‘lost hours’ and we are unable to accurately report based on this without skill and complex judgement. It is for this reason we have applied section 17 of the Freedom of Information Scotland Act 2002, as information not held.- Response Documents
