Moray MP Douglas Ross has hit out at the SNP Scottish Government's announcement that it is to recruit almost 300 new staff for the ambulance service, with 69 in the north, saying it is too little, too late.
Douglas said: "During their 14 years in charge, the SNP have failed to ensure that ambulance services here in Moray and across the North-East have been fully resourced and fully staffed.
"This has left our heroic ambulance staff completely overwhelmed during the pandemic, resulting in well-publicised cases of people having to wait hours for an ambulance to arrive.
“The SNP are patting themselves on the back for their announcement, but the reality is that new recruits will have to be trained so won't be on the front line until next year at the earliest. In the meantime, the crisis facing our ambulance service in rural communities in Moray will continue.
"The ambulance service should have been properly funded years ago. It is typical of the SNP smoke and mirrors approach of trying to spin a positive picture rather than ensuring that the healthcare services have all the resources they need.
"The Scottish Government highlights that one of the so-called improvements is a new ambulance to be based at Keith. The reality is that this is simply replacing a service that they previously removed. It's yet another example of the SNP being disingenuous."
