Do you have a dog?: Operator's bizarre questions to woman whose husband collapsed in agony with aneurysm - after she dialled 999 but was told to call non-urgent 111 line instead

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• Terry Gayther was hit by painful abdominal aneurysm in the early morning
• His wife quickly rang 999 to ask for an ambulance to take him to hospital
• But the operator told her to call the NHS's non-emergency 111 line
• She was then asked questions, such as: 'Have you got a dog?'
• After calling 999 again, ambulance arrived and took Mr Gayther to hospital

A woman who rang for an ambulance when she feared her husband was having a heart attack at their home was asked by the operator: ‘Do you have a dog?’

Christine Gayther, 69, was shocked when the call handler bombarded her with scripted questions as her husband Terry, 75, writhed in agony on the floor.

Mrs Gayther had first called 999 but was told to ring the 111 line for less serious cases. She did so, but as she begged for an ambulance the operator posed a string of questions, including: ‘What is your husband’s ethnicity?’

Terry and Christine Gayther pictured at their Bromley Cross home after his recovery from the aneurysm

It was when the operator asked Mrs Gayther whether she had a pet dog that she hung up and called 999 again to demand emergency help.

After 45 minutes an ambulance arrived at the couple’s home in Bromley Cross, near Bolton, and took her husband to hospital.

 

He was admitted to the intensive care unit and after surgery for a ‘huge abdominal aortic aneurysm’ is now recovering at home.

Last night his wife condemned the ambulance service and said that telling call handlers to read out a list of scripted questions could cost a patient their life.

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Terry and Christine Gayther on their wedding day in 1964. Mr Gayther is now recovering from the aneurysm at home

Mrs Gayther, a retired market stall trader, said: ‘It seems all common sense has gone out of the window. Unnecessary deaths will occur in future because of this. Terry was virtually dying before my eyes yet I was being asked inane questions like whether I had a dog when all I wanted to know was that there was an ambulance on the way.

‘I kept saying it was urgent but he was just reading this script. I couldn’t even stop him. Terry was rolling about, it was hell and I was screaming for help.

‘If the operator had just said, “There’s an ambulance on the way but let me ask you these questions” that would be fine.

‘It was as if I had to convince him that we were worthy of an ambulance. It seemed like I was on to him for an eternity and I was getting more and more irate thinking that I was being fobbed off.

‘Serious cases can be left with their lives draining away while the person requesting the ambulance is judged on the authenticity of their call.’

She added: ‘Some of the operators aren’t even medically minded and are not giving any thought to what they are just doing. I know they get a lot of silly calls but he should have had enough nous at the end of the phone to realise it was a situation starting up and I needed help from the medics. After all, 999 are there to help.’

Their ordeal began at 9.35am on July 28 when Mr Gayther, a retired engineer, complained of feeling unwell but blamed it on his sciatica, a painful back condition.

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Mr Gayther pictured at Bolton Royal Hospital as he recovered from the aueurysm, and right, at home

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The accident and emergency department of Royal Bolton Hospital, where Terry was rushed to undergo surgery

But his condition deteriorated and when he suddenly said: ‘Get an ambulance’, his wife knew the situation was serious.

She said: ‘I called 999 and tried to describe what was wrong with him. I said, “I need an ambulance” but they said, “From what you are telling me you need to ring 111”.’

As her husband foamed at the mouth and fell off the bed, Mrs Gayther rang the 111 line and the call handler began asking a series of questions.

CALL 111 FOR NON EMERGENCIES? 

The NHS 111 service is for those seeking medical assistance for what are not life threatening situations as an alternative to the 999 emergency phone line.

The rollout for the service began first in March last year and was completed by December. Like the 999 service, it is open 24 hours a day, but has come under some criticism for the quality of healthcare it offers.

The NHS recommends it is used for those who think they may need to go to A&E or another NHS urgent care service, those without a GP to call, or for health information and advice.

When the operator asked Mrs Gayther if she had a pet dog, she was so outraged she hung up and rang 999 for a second time to demand emergency help.

She said: ‘The paramedics got here at 10.20am and they did a brilliant job and knew the severity of Terry’s condition. I’m just thankful they arrived when they did as it was possible Terry would not survive.'

Mrs Gayther has lodged a formal complaint with the North West Ambulance Service. A spokesman for NWAS said: ‘It is very important that callers answer the series of questions our call takers ask as this can determine the category of the incident, and therefore what response is required.

‘The questions can also help the trust inform the ambulance crew en route as to what they may encounter on arrival at the scene.’

She said: ‘The trust uses the same call handling system as the majority of ambulance services in the country and one of the questions does require the caller to let the trust know if there are any dogs in the property. If so, they are asked to remove them to a safe place.’