Dad, 52, who called 999, dies at home hours after ambulance canceled | United Kingdom | News

Elaine Parker-Boyd will forever be haunted by the moment she and her teenage son arrived at her ex-husband’s apartment, only to be greeted by police officers who delivered the heartbreaking news of his sudden death. Simon Boyd, 52, had called 999 earlier in the day, out of breath and asking for an ambulance.

However, an inquest into his death found his appeal for help was tragically canceled. A doctor had visited his home at Heaton Moor, Stockport but received no response. Police were then alerted and, after breaking into the apartment, found Simon unconscious and attempts to resuscitate him proved futile.

Elaine has since expressed her anguish and her belief that Simon had been “failed by the NHS”. The coroner wrote a letter expressing concerns about Simon’s interactions with emergency services.

Simon, remembered as “very funny, bubbly and very intelligent”, separated from Elaine in 2012, but they continued to raise their now 14-year-old son together. He was employed by waste management company Viridor before joining John Lewis’ flooring department, reports Manchester Evening News.

In the week before his death last May, Simon was ill with symptoms of vomiting and diarrhea. Elaine shared that he suspected he had contracted gastroenteritis or norovirus. The coroner presiding over his inquest noted that Simon had a “relatively complex” medical history, which included heart complications, high blood pressure, chronic fatigue syndrome and sleep apnea.

Simon’s son had spent time with him on May 30 and the following day before returning to his mother’s house in Heaton Chapel, according to Elaine. On May 31, Simon called 111, reporting symptoms of dizziness, lethargy and sweating, regional coroner Chris Morris said.

He was given self-care advice and asked to contact his GP or 111 if symptoms persisted. The coroner added that a “safety net” had been put in place and Simon had been informed of the symptoms as a “red flag”. Elaine and their son spoke to him the next day, during which he said he felt “better.” He assured them he would eat and even sent a photo of his dinner, most of which had not been eaten when he was found, Elaine revealed.

Their son was due to return to his father’s apartment on the morning of June 1. Unbeknownst to them, Simon had dialed 999 shortly after 5.20am, requesting an ambulance due to shortness of breath. The call was initially classified as “category three” – “urgent calls” that must be answered within two hours, nine times out of ten, according to the coroner.

After an assessment by the North West Ambulance Service, Simon was referred to the Greater Manchester Clinical Assessment Service (CAS), provided by the Greater Manchester Urgent Primary Care Alliance (GMPUPC). A doctor spoke with Simon and referred him to a local out-of-hours service, “thus canceling the ambulance response”, according to the coroner’s report.

When it became clear that Simon could not attend the center himself outside of opening hours, he was assessed over the phone by another doctor who arranged a routine home visit the same day. Simon had a phone conversation with his father at 8:15 a.m., then called his son around 8:30 a.m., telling him he was “having trouble breathing,” Elaine said.

Elaine and her son rushed to Simon’s residence. The doctor had already arrived – at 8:34 a.m. – but received no response. The police were called and Simon was discovered. “When we arrived, a police officer was sitting in the passenger seat of Simon’s car and was going through the glove compartment,” Elaine said.

“My son immediately said ‘my father is dead’. I said ‘no he’s not, why do you say that?’ He pointed out that there was only a doctor and police car outside the apartment, but no paramedics living without his father.

The inquest into Simon’s untimely death concluded last month at South Manchester Coroners’ Court in Stockport. Coroner Mr Morris delivered a narrative verdict, stating that Simon “died as a result of a myocardial infarction”, the medical term for a heart attack, “which was first diagnosed after his death while he had sought help from emergency care services.”

In a report on preventing future deaths, the coroner expressed several concerns. He informed the Health Secretary that the estimated waiting time of three hours and 15 minutes for an ambulance was “a contributing factor in the decision-making in this matter” and expressed concern that the failure persistent in meeting national targets for ambulance response times.

Mr Morris also highlighted problems with NHS Pathways, the national triage system used by call handlers, including the wording of some scripts used by call handlers. “Expressions such as ‘an emergency ambulance has been arranged’;” we will be with you as soon as possible, as soon as an ambulance is available”; and “if you can arrange for someone to meet and direct the vehicle and close everything” Dogs run away if there are any “potentially give a misleading impression about dispatching an ambulance, which could potentially deter a caller from taking steps that could realistically result in them getting help more quickly,” Mr. Morris wrote .

He expressed “a further concern” that a request for an ambulance could be canceled “without this being first discussed with the person who found it necessary to dial 999 and request an ambulance in the first place”. The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and NHS England have been invited to comment on the report.

Elaine, still grieving, said: “Nothing can bring him back”, but added: “But we want to prevent this from happening to anyone else. It will happen again if changes are not made – and are not delivered quickly.”

Nimish Patel, of law firm McHale and Co, representing the family, commented: “This is a distressing case which highlights the difficulties caused by the current critical situation of the ambulance service and limited resources which mean that patients who need the most urgent care cannot receive it in time.

A DHSC spokesperson expressed: “Our deepest sympathies go out to Simon’s family and friends on this tragic matter. We carefully review each report to prevent future deaths and will respond in a timely manner. Our 10-year health plan will support ambulance services to improve and meet requirements. response time standards that the public rightly expect and let’s fix our broken NHS.

An NHS England spokesperson offered their condolences, saying: “NHS England extends its deepest sympathies to the family and friends of Simon Boyd. We are carefully reviewing the report on preventing future deaths sent to us by HM Coroner and will respond in due course.”

In a statement, an NWAS spokesperson expressed sympathy: “Our condolences go out to Mr. Boyd’s family at this difficult time. We support the Coroner’s goal of improving the patient experience by reducing wait times and ensuring the information we give to callers continues to work. be clear and appropriate.

GMPUPC has been contacted for a response.