New staffing boost for Easter Ross area

The Scottish Ambulance Service (SAS) is boosting its ambulance provision in the Easter Ross area as part of its Demand and Capacity Programme.

Nine new staff have been recruited in the area - a mixture of ambulance technicians and paramedics – and will operate out of Alness or Tain station, with the two bases changing to 24/7 coverage from today (5 September 2022).

As part of £20m funding from the Scottish Government, four new positions will be based in Alness and five in Tain, which will allow for additional cover in the area.

Robert Farquhar, Area Service Manager with the Scottish Ambulance Service said: "Our top priority continues to be our patients and our staff, who have been doing an amazing job every day in the most challenging of circumstances.

“This is great news for Easter Ross and a significant step forward for healthcare in the area."

As part of the Demand and Capacity programme, which aims to deliver the best possible care for patients and protect staff welfare, 540 frontline staff were recruited nationally in the last financial year (2020/21) – the highest number of staff SAS has ever employed in a single year - including 109 in the North, 190 in the East and 241 in the West.

A number of additional ambulances have also gone live across the country and seven new stations have been established, six of which are co locations with the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service.