Ambulance response times in Scotland have slowed as a result of strict new Covid-19 protocols, MSPs have been told.

The need for paramedics to don protective equipment and clean ambulances between patients are among the new requirements which are taking their toll on turnaround times.

Almost 150 new staff are being recruited to help address the issue, Holyrood's health committee heard on Tuesday.

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Ambulance staff face strict new Covid protocols

The ambulance service has a national standard of answering 75 per cent of calls classed as life threatening within eight minutes. But this figure was 64.7 per cent in 2019/20, down from 70 per cent the previous year, the committee has heard.

And Pauline Howie, chief executive of the Scotttish Ambulance Service (SAS), told MSPs: "Our response times this year (2020/21) have increased across all the different categories and that's because of the additional time for doffing and donning of equipment or cleaning of vehicles – ambulances in between patients – that is more intensive than it previously was.

"At hospital [the] more stringent cleaning requirements for patients to be assessed, that adds a bit of time."

Ms Howie said wearing PPE could be "quite uncomfortable" for ambulance staff.

"We need to ensure that our staff are provided with time to re-hydrate and to cool down after wearing that equipment as well,” she said.

Ms Howie said there were no figures available yet to quantify the extent to which response times have risen in 2020/21 during the pandemic.

Scottish ambulance response times hit by Covid pandemic protocols