The SNP will hear renewed calls today to relieve pressure on crisis-hit health services by urgently establishing field hospitals and temporary wards.
Labour will outline its action plan as MSPs tackle a series of problems which have left many fearing that life-saving services are at “breaking point”.
As well as temporary wards and field hospitals, the opposition group will suggest a 30-minute maximum turnaround time for ambulances after arrival at hospital, to ensure paramedics can respond to other calls.
The proposals follow a statement from Health Secretary Humza Yousaf on Tuesday, when it was confirmed that hundreds of firefighters, military personnel and taxi drivers would be drafted in to help bail out Scotland’s ambulance service from this weekend.
Last weekend, Jamie McNamee, Unite convener at the Scottish Ambulance Service, warned it was crucial that hospital capacity was expanded to reduce backlogs at the doors.
Mr Yousaf said on Tuesday: “I have spoken to every health board and mentioned that the equipment we had for the Louisa Jordan is available for them to use.
“But it’s not just a case of simply setting up beds, we have to have staff as well – we would have to pull the workforce out of extremely busy hospitals.”
Speaking ahead of the debate on Wednesday, Scottish Labour deputy leader Jackie Baillie said: “The crisis in our NHS is spiralling ever further out of control and lives are being lost.”
We need to see field hospitals to ease the pressure on the NHS and the adoption of a 30 minute ambulance turnaround time to save lives.”
She added: “Services and staff are at breaking point, but the cabinet secretary has been entirely missing in action.
“That’s why today Scottish Labour is tabling a series of proposals that will help to get the situation back under control and better prepared for the winter months.
“We need to see field hospitals to ease the pressure on the NHS and the adoption of a 30 minute ambulance turnaround time to save lives.
“There is simply no time to lose. If we are to tackle the unfolding crisis in our NHS, every party must unite around these calls.”
