FOI 26-245 Patient Loading Systems

Freedom of Information Request

Request Date

28 May 2026

Response Date

11 Jun 2026

Information Requested

Specifically, I am seeking information relating to fleet size and vehicle types, loading system technology currently deployed across emergency and patient transport vehicles, procurement plans and vehicle replacement schedules, and relevant governance and staff safety policies relating to loading systems.

The detailed questions accompanying this request are set out in the attached document. They have been structured to avoid any commercially sensitive information, and I do not seek details of specific supplier contracts, pricing, or procurement negotiations.

Q1 - As at 1 April 2026 (or the most recent date for which data is held), what is the total number of operational vehicles in your Trust's fleet? Please break down by the following categories:

a) Double-crewed emergency ambulances (A&E)
b) Rapid Response Vehicles (RRV / solo responders)
c) Patient Transport Service (PTS) vehicles
d) Hazardous Area Response Team (HART) vehicles
e)Otherspecialist vehicles (g. Tactical Response Units, mass casualty, bariatric)
f) Total fleet (all vehicle types)

Q2 - What is your Trust's current target replacement cycle (in years) for: a) Double-crewed emergency ambulances b) PTS vehicles c) RRVs If no formal cycle is set, please indicate the typical operational life used for planning purposes.

Q3 - Of your current operational emergency ambulance fleet (double-crewed A&E vehicles), how many are fitted with each of the following rear patient-loading systems? a) Powered ramp (e.g. motorised fold-down/wedge ramp) b) Self-loading powered stretcher system (e.g. Stryker PowerLoad or equivalent) c) Hydraulic tail lift d) Manual ramp or no powered loading system e) Other (please describe) Please express as a count and, if convenient, as a percentage of the emergency fleet.

Q4 - Using the same loading system categories as Question 4, please provide the equivalent breakdown for: a) Your PTS vehicle fleet b) Your HART or other specialist vehicle fleet (if applicable)

Q5 - How many new ambulance vehicles did your Trust receive (take delivery of) in year ended 31 March 2024, 2025 and 2026? a) Double-crewed emergency ambulances b) PTS vehicles c) RRVs d) All other vehicle types

For each category, how many were fitted with: (i) a powered ramp, (ii) a self-loading powered stretcher system, (iii) a tail lift, (iv) other/none?

Q6 - Using the same format as Question 5, please provide your Trust's current forecast for new vehicle receipts in calendar year 2027. Please indicate whether this is based on (a) a confirmed procurement order, (b) an approved capital plan, or (c) an outline/indicative plan.

Q7 - Does your Trust have an approved capital plan or fleet strategy that covers ambulance vehicle procurement for the period 2027–2031?

If yes: a) What is the total planned vehicle volume over this period (all types combined)? Please provide split by vehicle type and year if available.

b) Does the plan specify a preferred or mandated loading system type for new vehicles?
c) If (b) is yes, what is the specified loading system, and does it differ between the emergency and PTS fleets?

Q8 - Does your Trust have a formal policy, strategy document, or recorded board-level decision regarding the type of patient-loading system to be fitted to new emergency ambulances? If yes: a) What is the policy? b) When was it adopted or last reviewed? c) Please provide a copy or summary of the relevant section of the policy document and an explanation of why this is the preferred policy.

Q9 - Looking ahead to the next 1–5 years (2027–2031), does your Trust have a recorded plan, strategy, or board-level preference for the loading system type to be fitted to: a) New emergency ambulances? b) New PTS vehicles? Options to indicate: Powered ramp / Self-loading powered stretcher / Tail lift / Mixed / No preference recorded / Decision pending. [Supplier names and contract details are not requested.]

Please provide an explanation of why this is the preferred strategy.

Q10 - Does your Trust have a recorded plan or target for the electrification (full EV or hybrid) of its ambulance fleet? a) If yes, what proportion of new vehicle deliveries in years ended 3/2026 and 3/2027 are planned to be full EV or hybrid? b) Has loading system compatibility with EV platforms (e.g. weight constraints, power supply) been identified as a factor in vehicle specification decisions?

Q11 - Does your Trust operate any wheelchair-accessible vehicles (WAVs) — vehicles in which patients remain in their wheelchair during transport? If yes, how many, and what access system is fitted (ramp, tail lift, level-access, other)?

Q12 - In each of the last three complete financial years (2022/23, 2023/24, 2024/25), how many vehicles were recorded as taken out of service, or had operational availability reduced, specifically due to a fault or maintenance requirement related to the patient-loading system (ramp, tail lift, or stretcher loader)? Please provide aggregate annual totals — not vehicle registration numbers or supplier identities.

Q13 - Has your Trust recorded any patient safety incidents or near-misses in which the patient-loading system (ramp, tail lift, or stretcher loader) was identified as a contributing factor in the last three financial years (2022/23, 2023/24, 2024/25)? If yes, how many incidents were recorded in each year? [Details of individual incidents or patient information are not requested.]

Q14 - For the procurement of new ambulance vehicles and their loading systems, which of the following procurement routes does your Trust use? (Please tick all that apply.) a) NHS England national framework b) NHS Shared Business Services / Collaborative procurement c) Own trust procurement exercise (above OJEU/Procurement Act threshold) d) Own trust procurement exercise (below threshold / direct award) e) Other (please describe) For questions 6–9, which route applied to the vehicles procured in each year?

Q15 - Who within your Trust is responsible for approving the vehicle loading system specification for new ambulance procurements (e.g. Fleet Director, Medical Director, Estates, Procurement)? Is this decision subject to formal Trust Board approval or delegated authority?

Response

The Scottish Ambulance Service has considered your request under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002.

Where the Service holds recorded information within the scope of your request, this has been provided below or signposted to information already publicly available.

In some instances, the information requested is not held in the specific format described. Under FOISA the service (SAS) is not required to create new information in order to respond to a request and where complex skill and judgement may be required to interrupt the information held. Where this applies this has been explained and, where appropriate, section 17(1) Information not held has been applied.

Where links have been provided, we have applied section 25 of the Freedom of Information Scotland Act 2002, as Information that is otherwise accessible.

Q1 - The information requested is publicly available via the Fleet List on the Scottish Ambulance Service website - 20260424-fleet-list.xlsx

It should be noted that the categories referenced in your request are based on NHS England/CQC classifications and may not directly align with those used by the Scottish Ambulance Service.

Q2 - The information requested is publicly available within the Fleet Replacement Business Case published on the Scottish Ambulance Service website. - scottish-ambulance-service-fleet-replacement-full-business-case-2026-2031_public.pdf

As above, classifications used within the Service may differ from those referenced in your request.

Q3 - The service can confirm that all operational accident and emergency ambulances are fitted with a hydraulic tail lift patient loading system.

The service can confirm we do not hold the information specific to your request and we consider the information requested to be exempt under section 17(1) of FOISA for the reasons explained above for the specific breakdown of information requested.

Q4 – The Scottish Ambulance Service can confirm that all Patient Transport Service vehicles are fitted with a folding patient loading ramp.

The service can confirm we do not hold any further information specific to your request and we consider the information requested to be exempt under section 17(1) of FOISA for the reasons explained above for the specific breakdown of information requested.

Q5 - The information requested is publicly available through current and previous Fleet Replacement Business Cases on the Scottish Ambulance Service website. - scottish-ambulance-service-fleet-replacement-full-business-case-2026-2031_public.pdf

Information relating to loading system type by vehicle category is not held as a single recorded dataset.

Q6 - The information requested is publicly available within the current approved Fleet Replacement Business Case on the Scottish Ambulance Service website. - scottish-ambulance-service-fleet-replacement-full-business-case-2026-2031_public.pdf

Q7 – A) The information requested is publicly available within the current approved Fleet Replacement Business Case. - scottish-ambulance-service-fleet-replacement-full-business-case-2026-2031_public.pdf

B)TheFleet Replacement Business Case does not specify a preferred or mandated loading system type for new vehicles.
C) This question is non-applicable.

Q8 - The Service does not hold a formal policy, strategy document, or board-level decision specifically relating to the type of patient-loading system to be fitted to new emergency ambulances.

Q9 - The Service does not hold a recorded plan, strategy, or board-level preference specifying loading system types for future ambulance procurements.

The Scottish Ambulance Service does not hold a separate, organisation‑specific plan or target for the electrification of its ambulance fleet. The Service contributes to national objectives through its commitment to Scotland’s Climate Change Plan: 2026–2040 and continues to reduce emissions where operationally feasible, without compromising patient care.

a) The Scottish Ambulance Service does not hold recorded information on the proportion of new vehicle deliveries in the years ending March 2026 or March 2027 that are planned to be fully electric or hybrid.Section 17 notice (a): In terms of section 17 of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002, the Scottish Ambulance Service can confirm that it does not hold this information.
b) The Scottish Ambulance Service does not hold recorded information on whether loading system compatibility with electric vehicle platforms has been identified as a factor in vehicle specification decisions.
Section 17 notice (b): In terms of section 17 of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002, the Scottish Ambulance Service can confirm that it does not hold this information.

Q11 – Yes, all Patient Transport Service vehicles are designed to accommodate patients remaining in their wheelchair during transport and are accessible via a folding patient loading ramp.

Further general fleet information is available via the publicly available Fleet List.

Q12 - The Scottish Ambulance Service does not hold the specific information requested. While vehicle defects are recorded within fleet management systems, they are not categorised in a way that allows identification or extraction of faults specifically relating to patient‑loading systems (e.g. ramps, tail lifts, or stretcher loaders) across the periods requested.

The Service does not hold a discrete dataset that defines or quantifies patient‑loading system‑related faults. Identifying this information would require detailed manual review, interpretation, and classification of individual defect records, applying judgement to determine whether each fault relates to a patient‑loading system. This would amount to the creation of new information rather than the provision of recorded information.

It is for this reason we have applied section 17 of the Freedom of Information Scotland Act 2002 as information not held.

Q13 - Yes, the Scottish Ambulance Service has recorded incidents and near‑misses where the patient‑loading system (including ramps, tail lifts, or stretcher loading systems) was identified as a contributing factor.

The number of incidents recorded in each of the specified financial years is as follows:

2022/23: 13 incidents

2023/24: 19 incidents

2024/25: 47 incidents

This information is drawn from the Service’s incident reporting system, in which staff can report both incidents and near‑miss events. The reporting system captures a wide range of operational events and is not limited solely to incidents involving harm or confirmed patient safety concerns.

It should be noted that:

The inclusion of an incident in this dataset does not necessarily indicate that patient harm occurred; reports may include precautionary or near‑miss events.

The identification of the patient‑loading system as a contributing factor is based on staff reporting and recorded at the time of the incident.

These records do not indicate that a vehicle was taken out of service, that operational availability was reduced, or that a confirmed mechanical fault in the patient‑loading system was present.

Q14 - The Scottish Ambulance Service uses the following procurement routes for new ambulance vehicles and loading systems:

a) No – NHS England national frameworks are not used.

b) Yes – base vehicles are procured via Crown Commercial Service (CCS) collaborative frameworks.

c) Yes – vehicle conversion and fit out are procured through Service‑led regulated competitive exercises (OJEU / Find a Tender).

d) No – below threshold or direct award routes are not routinely used, except where permitted under procurement regulations.

e) Not applicable.

Procurement is therefore undertaken through a combination of national collaborative frameworks (base vehicles) and regulated competitive procurement (conversion and fit out).

Questions 6–9 (procurement route by year) - Responsibility for approving vehicle loading system specifications for new ambulance procurements sits across relevant subject matter leads, including Fleet, Clinical, and Procurement functions.

Approval is undertaken through established internal governance and procurement processes, with decisions delegated to appropriate officers in line with the Service’s Scheme of Delegation and Standing Financial Instructions.

These decisions are not subject to routine Trust Board approval.

The Service does not hold information identifying, by year, which procurement route applied to each vehicle. While routes are recorded at contract level, producing a year-by-year breakdown would require the creation of new information.

Under section 17(1) of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002, this information is not held.

Q15 - Responsibility for approving vehicle loading system specifications for new ambulance procurements sits across relevant subject matter leads, including Fleet, Clinical, and Procurement functions.

These decisions are not subject to routine Trust Board approval.

FOI 26-245 Patient Loading Systems

Freedom of Information Request

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