Last week in Parliament I raised concerns over the Scottish Ambulance Service’s patient transport service after reports in the press along with concerns raised to me by constituents highlighted that patients from the Fife region have had their patient transport cancelled on the day of their appointment.

It is not acceptable that patients are having their transport to hospital cancelled at the last minute, leaving them struggling to make a vital appointment. With the current problems around securing an appointment in the first place it is crucial that help is given to those who need it to make sure they can get to the hospital.

Previous press reports highlighted one patient who had to pay £30 for a return taxi journey to Cameron Hospital after her patient transport was cancelled just hours before her scheduled appointment.

The day of a hospital appointment or possible operation can be a stressful time for a patient and that stress should not be compounded with a last minute cancelation. This is not an isolated incident and the Cabinet Secretary must look at the extent of capacity issues within the Scottish Ambulance patient transport service and ensure no patients are left stranded on the day of their appointment.

I lodged a question to the Scottish Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing, Alex Neil MSP, during General Questions. In answering the question the Cabinet Secretary indicated that “the Scottish Ambulance Service is taking forward an extensive improvement programme for the Patient Transport Service.”

I will be writing to the Secretary for Health and Wellbeing to further discuss this issue.