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Terry GaytherA British man who suffered a heart attack and whose wife was satisfied with the paramedics but filed a complaint against the ambulance operator
Country:
 Great Britain |
Content:
- Biography of Terry Gater
- The Health Crisis
- The Frustration of the Call
- The Recovery and Gratitude
- An Official Complaint
Biography of Terry Gater
Terry Gater, a retired engineer, experienced a harrowing ordeal on the morning of July 28, 2014, when he suffered a heart attack. His wife, Christina, who was left alone with him, called for an ambulance, but the operator's questioning left her frustrated. Despite the delay, emergency medical services eventually arrived and Terry was taken to the hospital, where he underwent surgery for a severe abdominal aneurysm. He is currently recovering at home.
The Health Crisis
At 9:35 am on July 28, 2014, Terry Gater began experiencing discomfort, initially believing it to be sciatica. However, as his condition worsened, he instructed his wife to call for an ambulance. Christina realized the situation was critical, but the operator seemed to ask irrelevant questions, such as the ethnicity of Terry and whether they owned a dog.
The Frustration of the Call
Christina recalls the frustration of trying to explain the severity of Terry's condition to the emergency operator. She initially called the number 999, only to be told to call 111 instead. As Terry's condition deteriorated further, Christina made a second call to 999, demanding immediate assistance. The ambulance finally arrived at their home in Bromley Cross, near Bolton, 45 minutes later, and Terry was rushed to the hospital.
The Recovery and Gratitude
After undergoing surgery for a serious abdominal aneurysm, Terry Gater is now in the process of recovering his health at home. Christina commended the paramedics for their excellent work and expressed her gratitude towards them. However, she criticized the emergency operator for the list of seemingly irrelevant questions they asked during the call. Christina believes that such delays and unnecessary questioning could potentially be fatal in future cases.
An Official Complaint
Following the incident, Christina filed an official complaint against the emergency services. In response, a representative of the service explained that the questions asked during emergency calls help determine the urgency of the situation and provide important information to the responding medical team. The operator in question used the same call processing system as most emergency services in the country, and one of the questions is specifically aimed at determining whether the caller has dogs that need to be restrained upon the ambulance's arrival.
