AMBULANCES took more than 40 minutes to get out of Glasgow’s super-hospital and respond to other emergencies, figures show.

The average turnaround time for crews arriving at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital was recorded over one week in November last year and compares to a national average of just over 26 minutes.

Data shows paramedics took an average of 36minutes and 51 seconds to despatch patients and respond to calls including serious road crashes from August 1 to December 4 last year.

The figures do not include the festive season, when hospital admissions are likely to have spiked.

The Scottish Ambulance Service said turnaround time could include factors such as police statements but said the averages were, “longer than we would like.”

It comes after senior paramedics in Glasgow warned that the move to centralise health services was “crippling” the ambulance service, coupled with years of “chronic” staff shortages.

Jamie McNamee, National Convenor for Unite the union, and a senior paramedic in Glasgow, said no one had measured the impact on the ambulance service of the opening of the new hospital and closure of two A&E units.

He said delays over 30 minutes could be caused by a lack of available beds or hospital porters and said crews were waiting in corridors with patients for one to three hours on a “regular basis.”

He said: “There will be periods within December that will give huge spikes but by and large the demand is constant and increasing.

“It would be a rare event for a police interview to contribute to turnaround and any clean, over and above a quick wipe down must be done at base to control infection.”

The lowest average turnaround time of 34 minutes 22 seconds was recorded in the Summer in the week beginning August 19.

A spokeswoman for NHSGGC said: “We are working closely with the SAS to improve turnaround times at the QEUH, to ensure the safe transfer of patients to our Emergency Departments and Assessment Unit.”

Earlier this year, figures were released showing that ambulances were waiting more than a minute longer last year each time paramedics transferred a patient into a hospital across Scotland.

In August 2015, the average ambulance took 25 minutes 19 seconds to get back out of hospital and respond to a 999 call, but this had risen to 26 minutes 43 seconds in August 2016 – an increase of one minute and 24 seconds.

The extra time spent at hospital nationally equates to over 900 additional hours.

Health Secretary Shona Robison said: “We’re working closely with the local team at the QEUH to support sustainable improvements, including enhanced staffing for extended periods throughout the day, evening and weekend.

“This will be with a focus on enhanced discharges early in the day from all areas of the hospital, and enhanced escalation measures introduced into patient flow meetings held throughout the day -including representation from the ambulance service’s Hospital Ambulance Liaison Officer.

“Despite increasing levels of demand, our crews are saving the lives of more patients than ever before. The average response times for potentially life threatening calls remains around 7.4 minutes.”