Simon Boyd, 52, who died at his flat in Stockport after calling 999 for medical help (Image: undefined)
Elaine Parker-Boyd will forever be haunted by the moment she and her teenage son arrived at her ex-husband’s flat, only to be met by police officers who delivered the heart-wrenching news of his sudden death. Simon Boyd, 52, had dialled 999 earlier that day, gasping for breath and requesting an ambulance.
However, an inquest into his death revealed that his plea for help was tragically cancelled. A doctor had visited his Heaton Moor, Stockport residence but received no response. The police were subsequently alerted and upon breaking into the flat, they found Simon unresponsive, with attempts to resuscitate him proving futile.
Elaine has since voiced her anguish and conviction that Simon was ‘failed by the NHS’. The coroner has penned a letter expressing his concerns regarding Simon’s interactions with emergency services.
Simon, remembered as ‘very funny, bubbly and highly intelligent’, separated from Elaine in 2012, but they continued to jointly raise their now 14 year old son. He was employed by waste management company Viridor before transitioning to John Lewis’ flooring department, reports Manchester Evening news.
Simon Boyd, 52, who died at his flat in Stockport on 01/06/23 (Image: undefined)
In the week preceding his death last May, Simon was ill, exhibiting symptoms of vomiting and diarrhoea. Elaine shared that he suspected he might have 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 apnoea.
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, as stated by area coroner Chris Morris.
He was given self-care advice and instructed to contact his GP or 111 if symptoms persisted. The coroner added that ‘safety-netting’ took place and Simon was informed about ‘red flag’ symptoms. Elaine and their son spoke to him the next day, during which he claimed to feel ‘better’. He assured them he would eat and even sent a picture of his dinner, most of which remained uneaten when he was found, Elaine revealed.
Their son was scheduled to return to his father’s flat on the morning of June 1. Unbeknownst to them, Simon had dialled 999 just after 5.20am, requesting an ambulance due to breathlessness. The call was initially classified as a ‘category three’ case – ‘urgent calls’ that should be responded to within two hours, nine out of ten times, according to the coroner.
The expected wait for an ambulance that day was three hours and 15 minutes, a factor that contributed to decision-making in this case (Image: undefined)
Following a review 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, effectively ‘cancelling the ambulance response’, according to the coroner’s report.
When it became clear that Simon couldn’t get to the out-of-hours centre himself, he was assessed over the phone by another doctor who arranged for a routine home visit on the same day. Simon had a phone conversation with his father at 8.15am and then called his son around 8.30am, expressing that he was ‘struggling to breathe’, Elaine shared.
Elaine and her son rushed to Simon’s residence. The doctor had already arrived – at 8.34am – but there was 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, rummaging through the glovebox,” Elaine said.
“My son immediately said ‘my dad’s dead’. I responded ‘no he’s not, why would you say that?’He pointed out that there was only a doctor’s car and police outside the flat, but no paramedics. My son now has to navigate life without his father.”
The coroner voiced his concern over the continued failure to meet national targets for ambulance response times (Image: Getty)
The inquest into Simon’s untimely death was concluded last month at South Manchester Coroners’ Court in Stockport. Coroner Mr Morris delivered a narrative verdict, stating that Simon ‘died as a consequence of a myocardial infarction’, the medical term for a heart attack, ‘which was first diagnosed after his death despite him seeking help from urgent and emergency care services’.
In a Prevention of Future Deaths report, the coroner expressed several concerns. He informed the Health Secretary that the estimated wait time of three hours and 15 minutes for an ambulance was ‘a factor which contributed to decision-making in this case’ and voiced his concern over the continued failure to meet national targets for ambulance response times.
Mr Morris also highlighted issues with NHS Pathways, the national triage system used by call handlers, including the wording of some of the script used by call handlers. “Phrases 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 ask for someone to meet and direct the vehicle and shut any dogs away if there are any’ potentially give a misleading impression as to ambulance dispatch having occurred, which could conceivably deter a caller from taking steps which might realistically result in them obtaining faster help,” wrote Mr Morris.
He expressed ‘further concern’ that an ambulance request can be cancelled ‘without this first being discussed with the person who has felt it necessary to dial 999 and request an ambulance in the first place’. Both the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) and NHS England have been asked to comment on the report.
Elaine, still grieving, said: “Nothing can bring him back,” but added, “But we want to avoid this happening to anyone else. It’ll happen again if changes aren’t made – and aren’t made quickly.”
Nimish Patel, from McHale and Co solicitors, representing the family, commented: “This is a distressing case which highlights the difficulties caused by the current plight of the ambulance services and limited resources which mean that the patients who need the most urgent care may not receive it in time.”
A DHSC spokesperson expressed: “Our deepest sympathies are with Simon’s family and friends in this tragic case. We consider every Prevention of Future Deaths report carefully and will respond in due course. Our 10 Year Health Plan will support ambulance services to improve and meet the response time standards the public rightly expect, and fix our broken NHS.”
An NHS England spokesperson extended their condolences, saying: “NHS England extends its deepest sympathies to the family and friends of Simon Boyd. We are carefully considering the Prevention of Future Deaths Report sent to us by HM Coroner and will respond in due course.”
In a statement, an NWAS spokesperson expressed their sympathies: “Our condolences go to Mr Boyd’s family at this difficult time. We support the coroner’s aim to improve the experience of patients by reducing wait times and ensuring the information that we give to callers continues to be clear and appropriate.”
The GMPUPC has been approached for a response.
