Grandad dies from heart attack after waiting for ambulance to arrive while on holiday in Scotland

A brother and sister tried to save their grandad’s life while waiting 40 minutes for an ambulance to arrive.

When Harry de Vries suffered a heart attack on a family holiday to Aberdeenshire, his grandchildren Sophie, 18, and Timothy, 16, took turns to perform CPR.

But Mr de Vries, 78, was pronounced dead at the scene.

The incident highlights the pressures facing NHS Grampian as it tries to balance the books and reduce ambulance waiting times.

Sophie, 18, and Timothy, 16, tried to save their grandad by performing CPR. STV News

The Scottish Ambulance Service said it was experiencing three hours of delays at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary the night Mr de Vries died on January 12.

Harry’s family has now made an impassioned call for nobody else to “go through what we did”.

“We took turns doing CPR because after five minutes of CPR you get absolutely exhausted,” said Timothy.

Sophie said: “It was definitely not a situation we had imagined, especially with our parents gone. Everyone who came on scene afterwards was very nice, very helpful.”

Harry de Vries, 78, from the Netherlands, died from a heart attack while on Holiday in Aberdeenshire after an ambulance took nearly 40 minutes to arrive. Supplied

Although the call was identified as immediately life-threatening, it took nearly 40 minutes for an ambulance to come.

“All the local ambulances close to us were tied up at ARI,” said Nick Ledger, Mr de Vries’ son-in-law.

“There was an average turnaround time of one hour and 40 minutes on that early Sunday morning.

“So they couldn’t release our local ambulance because it was tied up at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary – they had to dispatch ambulances further afield.”

Mr de Vries’ daughter Jeannette added: “If the ambulance had, been earlier it might have been that he was taken to hospital and at that time there would have been a doctor pronouncing him dead, which would have helped us get him back to the Netherlands quicker.”

A spokesperson for the Scottish Ambulance Service has apologised to the family and said delays at both ARI and Dr Gray’s Hospital in Elgin are continuing to put significant pressure on the service.

The Scottish Government’s health secretary Neil Gray said: “I apologise to anybody who has suffered any unacceptable delay in accessing services in any part of the country.

“That is exactly why we’re seeking to intervene here to see us improve the position around the ambulance stacking that has taken place at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary.’’

A critical incident was declared at ARI last year as the hospital experienced problems with long queues for ambulances at its A&E department.

The health board’s finances have also been under pressure – NHS Grampian has borrowed tens of millions from the Scottish Government and now it faces more scrutiny.

However, with a further £23m to save before June 7, concerns have been raised about how that will impact patient care.

NHS Grampian says it has protocols to allow the rapid release of ambulances if needed to attend an emergency call.

A spokesperson for NHS Grampian said it would continue to work closely with the Scottish Ambulance Service to reduce ambulance turnaround times, to help increase ambulance availability.

The health board said that in the event an ambulance needs to be released urgently to attend an emergency call, it has protocols and systems in place to allow the rapid release.

Alexander Burnett, the Scottish Conservative MSP for Aberdeenshire West, said the stacking up of ambulances outside the ARI needed to stop.

“Not only was the Banchory ambulance there, but six other ambulances that should have been available were also stacked for up to two hours,” he said.

“NHS Grampian needs scrutiny, it is failing on so many different levels and constituents, particularly regarding rural health care, need answers.”

Mr de Vries’ family wants immediate action from the health service to ensure others don’t experience similar pain.

Jeannette said: “It’s hurting families and we would like something to be done about it, so that nobody goes through what we had to go through.”

What was NHS Grampian’s response?

A spokesperson for NHS Grampian said: “We would like to express our heartfelt condolences to Mr de Vries’ family.

“We share the concern of patients and staff and will continue to work closely with the Scottish Ambulance Service to reduce ambulance turnaround times, to help increase ambulance availability.

“For instance, our clinical staff are now providing support to assess patients while in ambulances, and our Call Before You Convey service and Flow Navigation Centre have reduced the number of patients being transported to hospital by the Scottish Ambulance Service when other treatment pathways should be followed.

“The safety of patients, our staff, and those working for SAS has the highest priority. In the event an ambulance needs to be released urgently to attend an emergency call, we have protocols and systems in place to allow the rapid release of SAS vehicles.

“When patients arrive at our hospitals they are seen based on clinical priority. Those in need of emergency care, for instance following a stroke or heart attack, are seen with the utmost urgency. Average ambulance turnaround times are in no way indicative of the time taken for emergency cases to be seen.

“Mr De Vries’ tragic case emphasises the importance of 999 calls only being used for genuine emergencies such as his. It is vital patients phone NHS 24 on 111 before attending the Emergency Department or a Minor Injury Unit – unless the situation is life threatening, for instance a suspected stroke of heart attack, in which case you should call 999. Using the 111 service allows us to keep waiting times to a minimum and better manage hospital capacity.”

What does the Scottish Ambulance Service say?

A spokesperson for the Scottish Ambulance Service said: “We would like to express our deepest sympathies to Mrs Ledger and her family. We are very sorry for their loss.

“At the time of this call, ambulances arriving to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary were experiencing delays of nearly three hours. It is extremely disappointing that despite extensive engagement with NHS Grampian, hospital delays at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary and Dr Gray’s Hospital continue to put significant pressure on the ambulance service across Grampian.

“These delays prevent our ambulance crews from getting back out on the road to treat other patients, such as Mr de Vries. When a time is appropriate, we would ask the family to contact our Patient Experience Team so we can discuss the case personally.

“We once again pass on our sincere condolences to the family for their loss.”