A CHANGE to the way railway operators and the Scottish Ambulance Service deal with medical emergencies onboard trains has helped cut related delays by a third.
Instead of an ambulance travelling to a station closest to where a passenger took ill, trains are now travelling to a point where the nearest ambulance is located.
This means that help is reach more quickly, reducing delays by 37 per cent. Figures for July 2017 show that delays per incident in Scotland were the lowest in the UK.
Mark Ilderton, ScotRail Alliance’s Head of Integrated Control said: “Our priority is always delivering the best service for our customers, which includes getting help quickly for anyone who has taken ill.
“We listen to customer feedback to improve our customer service, and this new partnership with the Scottish Ambulance Service is just one of several we have in place as we work towards delivering the best railway that Scotland has ever had.”
Scottish Ambulance Service National Operations Director, Paul Basset, added: “Our priority is delivering the highest possible level of patient-centred care, and that is why we are working in partnership with ScotRail to improve the process for managing incidents where patients become unwell on trains.”
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