William Parker, the brother of a 55-year-old woman who died after waiting four hours for an ambulance in Kilmarnock last month, has accused the Scottish Government of "passing the buck" over the tragedy. Julie Parker suffered a cardiac arrest on her way to Crosshouse Hospital after collapsing in her flat, where she lived alone with her dog. Police forced entry after she failed to answer the door and called paramedics at 5:48 pm on June 22, but she was not taken to hospital until 9:28 pm.
Family's grief and demand for accountability
William Parker, 62, wrote to Health Secretary Angela Constance, stating that government ministers should "hang their heads in shame" over the waiting times crisis. In response, Constance ordered a "full and immediate review" of Julie's case and offered to meet the family. However, William rejected the response, saying, "She's not taking any responsibility. I run a business and if anything happened where someone died, it's me at the top that takes responsibility. I think she's just passing the buck to the ambulance service, but the buck stops with her." He added that he would meet her but has "reached the end of my tether."
Background of the incident
Julie Parker was a dog sitter. A woman collecting her pet heard moaning from Julie's flat and alerted police. Officers forced entry and found her collapsed in the bathroom. Despite calling for paramedics at 5:48 pm, they waited until 9:28 pm for medics to arrive. The tragedy comes six months after the death of Dylan Jones, 28, who waited 15 hours for an ambulance and A&E care.
Government and health service response
In her letter to William, Constance acknowledged the "upsetting and concerning" situation and asked the Scottish Ambulance Service to undertake a "full and immediate review." She noted that the service faces "sustained pressure as a result of high demand, increasingly complex cases and exceptionally busy emergency departments." The Scottish Ambulance Service stated that on the day of Julie's death, it was under "significant pressure due to lengthy hospital turnaround times" at Crosshouse, including delays of over six hours. NHS Ayrshire and Arran said it would conduct a multi-agency review, citing "high demand to access unscheduled care services" and "significant pressures across the whole health and care system."
Political reaction
Scottish Labour's Jackie Baillie said the Health Secretary must speak to Julie's family and set out a "clear plan to address the crisis in our ambulance service with the urgency needed." Julie's death is not isolated; other tragedies in Scotland have been linked to 999 delays in recent years.
