Almost 100 years of paramedic staff time lost to mental health since 2019

Scottish Liberal Democrat Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP today said that SNP mismanagement has made it tougher for people to get the life-saving treatment they need, after new research by his party revealed that more than 400,000 hours, or 92 years, of paramedic staff time has been lost to mental health absences since 2019.

A Scottish Liberal Democrat freedom of information request to the Scottish Ambulance Service found that:

• Since 2019, 404,616 hours of paramedic staff time has been lost to mental ill health- the equivalent of 92 years.
• 84,992 hours were lost to mental ill health in 2024 alone, which represents an increase of 61.2% on 2019 levels.
• In the West region (which covers Glasgow, Argyll and Clyde, Ayrshire and Arran, Dumfries and Galloway and Lanarkshire), 40,021 hours of staff time were lost to mental health in 2024 alone.
• In the same region, the number of hours lost has risen by 96.9% since 2019.
• In the North, the number of hours lost has risen by 140.6% since 2019.

Mr Cole-Hamilton said:

“Paramedics have been pushed to breaking point. It’s leading to a huge levels of staff absences, making it tougher for people to get the life-saving treatment they need.

“Under the SNP, nightmarish waits for ambulances have become the norm. Ministers have no idea how to ease those waits, depriving our hardworking first responders of the support they need.

“That’s why Liberal Democrats have worked hard to secure millions more for social care and local healthcare. This funding will relieve some of the frontline pressure on paramedics by freeing up hospital beds and reducing the time ambulances are queueing up outside before a bed becomes available.

“After so long in charge, it is clear that the SNP lack the creativity and the understanding to fix the crisis in our health service. Ultimately, delivering for staff, patients and the wider NHS is going to require a change of government.”