FOI 26-063 Turnaround Time Total 2025
Freedom of Information Request
- Reference
- FOI 26-063 Turnaround Time Total 2025
- Request Date
- 03 Feb 2026
- Response Date
- 18 Feb 2026
- Information Requested
- The total amount of time that ambulance crews spent waiting outside of hospitals in 2025
- The above broken down by health board
- The 10 longest waits that ambulance crews had outside of hospitals in 2025 and which health boards these occurred in
- Response
The Scottish Ambulance Service does not record the total time ambulances spent waiting outside of hospital. However, we do record an ambulance turnaround time, defined as the total time from when an ambulance arrives at hospital until the crew departs/marks clear. This total includes several components (for example, clinical handover, returning equipment, and vehicle cleaning). Because of those components, turnaround time is not directly comparable to “handover” measures published by some other UK ambulance trusts, which may report only the time from arrival to handover acceptance.
Please see the attached sheet detailing the total turnaround time for each hospital for 2025. For context we have also included the total number of conveyances, median turnaround time and 90th percentile turnaround time for each hospital.
Median turnaround time is the time in which 50% of SAS Crews spend at hospital as a result of conveying a patient; This time runs from when the crew arrive at the hospital to when they are clear from the incident.
90th Percentile turnaround time the time in which 90% of SAS Crews spend at hospital as a result of conveying a patient. This time runs from when the crew arrive at the hospital to when they are clear from the incident.
This sheet also details the 10 longest turnaround times in 2025 on the second tab.
Our local management teams are working closely with Health Boards to ensure that ambulances are released as quickly as possible.
- Response Documents
