RANK ROTTEN
Daily Record|September 23, 2024
Cabbies hit out as they're asked to fill gaps in the failing health service
VIVIENNE AITKEN
RANK ROTTEN

THOUSANDS of patients who dial 999 for an ambulance are being sent to hospital by taxi - with cab costs soaring from just £88 to £166,000 a year.

Ambulance chiefs began to send patients to hospital by taxi after the Covid pandemic as waiting times rocketed due to long waits at A&E departments.

Now the shocking rise in the use of the use of taxis by the Scottish Ambulance Service can be revealed in figures given to the Daily Record.

A total of 6961 patients have been taken to A&E departments by cabbies in the last three years, sparking demands for more investment so that professional 999 crews are used.

Pat McIlvogue, of the United Trade union, said: "This is an astonishing rise in costs associated with the transportation of patients to hospitals by taxis since the pandemic ended.

"To go from £88 to £165,999 in the space of five years is a damning reflection on the service management who are cutting corners in an attempt to cut costs. This is a symptom of chronic underinvestment in the Scottish Ambulance Service by the Scottish Government."

Esta historia es de la edición September 23, 2024 de Daily Record.

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Esta historia es de la edición September 23, 2024 de Daily Record.

Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.