Scotland’s ambulance service is experiencing an unprecedented crisis so severe that the Army has been called in by government ministers.
One elderly patient died after a 40-hour wait, and another pensioner was left in agony on her floor for eight hours with a broken hip.
Paramedics on the front line are working flat out and deserve our respect and gratitude during what must be an incredibly difficult time.
The vast majority of them will finish their shifts utterly exhausted and unable to even contemplate a second job.
Unbelievably, a Sunday Mail investigation has revealed a group of Scottish Ambulance Service managers higher up the tree have started a campervan hire firm, run from the same office building as their NHS HQ.
The enterprise involving as many as seven senior staff is raking in up to £8000 a month leasing two luxury VW vehicles from the prime location next to Glasgow Airport.
When our reporter posed as a customer he made contact with Billy Kinniburgh, an SAS head of planning and delivery, who chatted through a lease and arranged a viewing.
Kinniburgh later accepted he was working on Friday during some of the calls but insisted the business venture is completely separate from his SAS employment.
His bosses have vowed to take action if second jobs are being carried out on work time.
But they also said Camper Vans Scotland Ltd isn’t breaking rules as it has a separate office lease, while stressing that those involved aren’t involved in emergency call-outs.
Ordinary members of the public will however will be utterly bemused.
It is not too much to ask that already well-paid managers dedicate themselves fully to getting the NHS back on its feet rather than cashing in on the holiday market.
And colleagues knocking their pans in on the front line – including the whistleblower who contacted us – will also be far from happy campers.
