1775:-
The first organised
Ambulance Service in Scotland was established.
The purchase of a pair of sedan chairs in Edinburgh was the beginning of the Service, these were acquired on behalf of the Doctors at the Royal Infirmary, for the 'carriage of persons needful of medicinal enquiry yet unable to proceed thereto'.
1882:- Formation in Glasgow of the St Andrew's Ambulance Association with two
horse drawn wagons.
This spread rapidly throughout Scotland. The objective was to provide ambulance transport, stretchers and other equipment for assisting sick and injured people.
1905:- Motorised transport introduced.
Hospitals had their own ambulance service for conveyance of infectious disease cases (i.e. Diphtheria and Scarlet Fever). Many towns and villages set up voluntary schemes for purchasing and running an ambulance for their own community. These services ran alongside the St Andrew's Ambulance Association.
WWII:- Red Cross in Scotland joined with the St Andrew's Ambulance
Association.
This service developed with the objective of ensuring that Scotland had an organised ambulance service to meet the needs of the communities.
1948:- The combined service incorporated into the National Health
Service (NHS)
This move was to provide a nation-wide ambulance service on behalf of the Secretary of State for Scotland and was funded by the Scottish Home and Health Department.
Mid
1960's:-
Integration into
the National Service
The ambulances, still run by Hospitals, Police Authorities, The National Coal Board and local Voluntary groups were integrated into the NHS. In 1967 the Red Cross withdrew from the NHS and the Service was renamed the St Andrew's Scottish Ambulance Service.
1974:- NHS Reorganisation
St Andrew's Scottish Ambulance Service incorporated into the Common Services Agency and the name "St Andrew's" dropped.
1991:- New Management Structure
The first General Manager was appointed and a new management structure was introduced to improve the performance of the Service. Due to opportunities offered by Government Health Service reforms, it was decided to seek Trust status for the Service as a whole, this was achieved on 1 April 1995. As a Trust, the Service now has the freedom to manage its own affairs for the benefit of the people of Scotland.
2002:- Modernisation
we embarked upon a five-year modernisation programme that will deliver improvements across every aspect of our service.
2005 :- Management
The service is now managed by a Board made up of a non-executive chairman, seven non-executive directors and a chief executive and four executive directors.
Our services are delivered locally across Scotland in six divisions.
Copyright © CyberSoft All rights reserved.