FOI 26-204 Mobility Aids in SAS Vehicles

Freedom of Information Request

Reference
FOI 26-204 Mobility Aids in SAS Vehicles
Request Date
27 Apr 2026
Response Date
07 May 2026
Information Requested

Where it is possible to do so my preference would be for the information provided to be in the form of Standard Operating Procedure documentation. Can you please provide me with the following;

  1. An outline of the current SAS capability to accommodate the transportation of personal mobility aids (ie walking sticks, zimmer frames, rollators, manual wheelchairs, larger or complex electric wheel chairs) for patients being conveyed to hospital in an emergency ambulance. Including how this is achieved safely, and the reasoning for any restrictions on the type of aid that can accompany a patient.
  2. An outline of the current SAS capability to accommodate the transportation of personal mobility aids (ie walking sticks, zimmer frames, rollators, manual wheelchairs, larger or complex electric wheel chairs) for patients making use of the SAS Patient Transport Service Including how this is achieved safely, and the reasoning for any restrictions on the type of aid that can accompany a patient.
  3. Any current SAS policies regarding the transportation of assistance dogs with patients in both emergency ambulances and Patient Transport Service vehicles and any related reasoning.
  4. Any current SAS policy regarding the securing (or lack thereof) of these items when patients are attended to in public and mobility aids must be left behind on scene.
  5. An outline of any current SAS policy that aims to resolve the issue of separating patients from their mobility aids or assistance dogs especially for those patients who do not have the ability to resolve it themselves (ie organising for the transportation of a patients aid or assistance dog separately in a more suitable SAS vehicle or via a separate emergency service).
  6. An outline of any current plans or aims to increase the capability of the SAS fleet to better provide the above services for patients in the future.
Response

Q1 – The Scottish Ambulance Service emergency ambulances are designed and operated in accordance with CEN 1789:2020, which sets mandatory standards for ambulance design, safety, weight limits, restraint systems and equipment fixings. The primary purpose of emergency ambulance vehicles is to deliver safe, time‑critical clinical care.

Small items such as walking sticks or lightweight folding mobility aids may be accommodated where they can be safely stowed. However, the Service does not routinely guarantee the conveyance of larger mobility aids, including manual wheelchairs or complex/ powered wheelchairs, in emergency ambulances.

Recorded information highlights that:

  • There is no recognised or enforceable universal standard for wheelchair manufacture, restraint or testing, limiting the ability to provide standardised securing systems.
  • Wheelchair weight, size, centre of gravity and fixing points vary significantly.
  • Conveying non‑standard equipment must not compromise patient care, crew safety, or vehicle compliance with safety standards.

Patients are conveyed in the clinically safest position, determined through a dynamic risk assessment, which may include a trolley cot secured by CEN‑compliant floor locks and restraints, or approved ambulance seating with seatbelts. Where it is unsafe or impractical to convey a mobility aid, priority is given to clinical necessity and prompt transport.

 

Q2 - The Patient Transport Service operates on a planned‑care basis, with vehicle suitability and patient needs assessed in advance through the Patient Needs Assessment (PNA) process.

PTS vehicles are generally equipped with:

  • Approved restraint systems suitable for small, lightweight folding wheelchairs
  • Storage capacity for minor mobility aids

The decision on whether a patient may remain in a wheelchair, transfer to vehicle seating, or travel on a trolley is determined by:

  • Manual handling risk assessments
  • Patient stability and clinical needs
  • Vehicle suitability and available securing systems

Some powered or non‑standard wheelchairs cannot be safely conveyed due to restraint and vehicle design limitations. Where a PTS vehicle cannot safely accommodate the patient’s mobility requirements, alternative arrangements or signposting may be considered.

 

Q3 - SAS holds a specific policy titled “Transportation of Assistance Dogs”, which applies to both emergency ambulances and PTS vehicles.  We have applied section 25 of the Freedom of Information Scotland Act 2002 as this information is otherwise accessible on the Scottish Ambulance Service website - FOI 24-391 Assistance Dogs

 

Q4 - The Scottish Ambulance Service does not hold a specific policy or SOP mandating the securing of mobility aids that must be left at scene when a patient is conveyed.

Operational decisions in these circumstances are guided by:

  • Dynamic risk assessment
  • Manual handling safe systems of work
  • Scene safety considerations
  • The need to avoid delaying emergency care

Priority is given to patient care and safety rather than the securing of property, and FOISA does not require the Service to create policy where none is held in recorded form.

 

Q5 - SAS does not hold a standalone policy that obliges the Service to arrange separate transportation for mobility aids in all circumstances.

For assistance dogs, clear arrangements are set out in existing policy (see section 3). For mobility aids, decisions are managed through clinical judgement, fleet capability and dynamic risk assessment on a case‑by‑case basis. While alternative arrangements may occasionally be explored, this is not guaranteed and is not governed by a single recorded policy.

 

Q6 - The Scottish Ambulance Service does not hold recorded information setting out specific future plans, strategies or commitments to enhance fleet capability for the transportation of larger or more complex mobility aids.

While feedback and learning may inform future fleet design considerations via internal and national groups, no formal, recorded plans addressing this topic are held at the time of your request. In line with FOISA, we are not required to create new information to answer this part of your request.

In This Section