Paramedics have accused ambulance bosses of “breaking promises” amid claims that a student technician was left alone in charge of a north-east station.
The Scottish Ambulance Service (SAS) came under fire in 2010 when it emerged that a trainee paramedic refused to attend a 999 call just two miles from his Tomintoul station because he was having a cup of tea.
Mandy Mathieson, 33, fell ill at home and was pronounced dead by the crew which travelled 15 miles from Grantown to treat her.
In the aftermath of her death, SAS bosses instituted a raft of changes aimed at preventing a similar incident from occurring.
Among them was the stipulation that student technicians should only work under the supervision of a more qualified colleague, and “should not be planned as a single crew resource”.
But Moray paramedics say the Dufftown station was left manned solely by a student over Hogmanay and New Year’s Day – and have demanded answers from top brass as to why.
They also claim the nearby station in Keith was completely unmanned that day, placing a further burden on the inexperienced employee.
Last night, ambulance chiefs admitted they had not been able to pair the student technician with a colleague in Dufftown – but stressed he had been accompanied by another crew at the one call-out attended.
Unite’s regional officer, Tommy Campbell, described the controversy as an indictment of a service “in crisis”.
Mr Campbell said: “SAS senior management created a situation seven years ago where they put a student in a position he should not have been in.
“Here we have a repeat of that situation, and this needs to be fully investigated, with those responsible being held to account.
“Promises were made, so it’s shocking to discover that we have the same thing happening.
“This is really a strong indication of the serious crisis within the service.”
A paramedic, who wished to remain anonymous, added: “It’s only acceptable to leave a trainee alone in the event of sickness, and even then every effort must be made to source some extra cover.
“But neither of those things happened here.”
Last night, Milne Weir, Scottish Ambulance Service general manager for north division, said: “For the day in question we made every effort to partner the student technician with another colleague at Dufftown.
“As this was not possible, we intentionally made sure this member of staff was accompanied by an ambulance crew from another station at the one incident they attended to ensure the appropriate skills mix.”
Miss Mathieson’s family did not wish to comment on the current situation.