11 hours ago
NI health: Woman was asked to examine husband to confirm he was dead
A grieving woman who was told to examine her husband to confirm he was dead says it remains in her mind every time she closes her Catherine Steele's husband Anthony died from stomach cancer in May she called an ambulance but was told none were was asked to make a video call and check her husband's vital signs to confirm he had Northern Ireland Ambulance Service apologised and said: "We are sorry that she did not experience the level of service that she would rightly expect at this particularly difficult time."
Video call
Mrs Steele had phoned a 24-hour district nurse helpline, but she said no one picked sister then rang the ambulance Steele's sister was told an ambulance would be sent out but none sister then had to leave to pick up Mrs Steele's son from work, leaving her alone with her Steele later received a call to say an ambulance would not be arriving and was asked to take part in a video call."I had to do his pulse on his wrists, and on his neck and then I had to open his eyes up on the video call so she could see," Mrs Steele told BBC Radio Ulster's Nolan was then the medical professional on the call confirmed Mrs Steele's husband was dead.
She was asked to contact a doctor, who sent out the district nurse."It's just my last memory of him and it's just in my mind every time I close my eyes," she said."It's not acceptable, I know the ambulance service and NHS is under stress but I just feel it should never happen again."I don't want this to happen to anybody".Mrs Steele said she had been prescribed sleeping tablets due to suffering from insomnia since the incident."I just close my eyes and see his eyes, and it just replays back and back and back on your mind."
In a statement, the NIAS said: "We will contact Mrs Steele to arrange to meet her and apologise to her in person and, more importantly, to listen to her concerns that we might learn from her experience to help ensure that no-one else would have to go through the same."
