Dumbarton’s MSP has slammed new figures which show a rise in the number of ambulances with one crew member.

Between 2013/14 and 2017/18 the number of ambulances with just one crew member in the West Central Region, covering West Dunbartonshire, increased by 59 per cent.

Jackie Baillie MSP claimed the figures were an example of the SNP letting down “our valued NHS staff”.

But a Scottish Government spokesperson said Ms Baillie’s claims were “misleading and poorly informed,” stating the figures reflect an increased use of paramedic response units such as cars and motorbikes.

The spokesperson said: “This is about getting a highly trained paramedic in place as quickly as possible in immediately life threatening situations. This approach helped save the lives of 62 more cardiac arrest patients in 2017/18 than during the previous year.

“There has been a 16.5% rise in staffing over the last decade and we are supporting the SAS to train an additional 1,000 paramedics over course of this parliament.”

A Scottish Ambulance Spokesperson said: “The figures being quoted represent less than 1 per cent of the 1.8 million calls we receive each year and we make every effort to ensure all ambulances have a double crew.

“Most of the vehicles listed in these figures include Paramedic Response Units - a highly trained paramedic in a car or on a bike who we intentionally deploy to a range of emergency situations to save lives and who are often first on scene.

“Other instances of single-crewed vehicles are an extremely rare exception, mainly due to unplanned staff absence, and we always ensure they are appropriately backed up.

“Thanks to our hard-working, skilled staff, we are saving more lives in Scotland– an additional 62 cardiac arrest patients returned home alive in 2016/17 compared with the previous year and our median response time for immediately life threatening incidents is seven minutes and nine seconds.”