The actions of a Fife paramedic, who allegedly went shopping on the way to a medical call, have been slammed as ”outrageous” by a campaigning father whose toddler son died after enduring a long wait for an ambulance.
The Scottish Ambulance Service is investigating claims made by a whistleblower that an ambulance diverted via Currys PC World on Halbeath Retail Park, Dunfermline, while the crew was on a response call from a doctor to take a patient to hospital.
Fearing a patient’s life could have been at stake, an insider said: ”It’s crazy. It’s something that you do not do.
”As soon as you hit ‘mobile’ on the screen and leave the station you go to that address.
”You don’t go via shops.”
The ambulance worker added: ”Half the doctors’ calls are a waste of time but some are spot-on and that person needs to go to hospital, tout de suite.
”You never do it, you never divert you’ve no idea what you are going to.”
The claims have shocked Martin Gray, who along with his wife Lisa has been battling to change the rule covering when crews can take breaks.
The Crieff couple lost their three-year-old son, Martyn, last year when paramedics based just 10 minutes away failed to respond because they were on a break.
Mr Gray said incidents like the one in Dunfermline ”completely undermine” their work.
”It’s terrible to hear about this kind of thing happening considering what we were put through,” he said.
”If you want to take on the role of paramedic, that should be your sole priority while you are on-shift, not catching up on your Christmas shopping.
”When you are in charge of an ambulance, you should be doing nothing more than picking up a patient and taking them straight to hospital.
”This sort of thing completely undermines what we are trying to do and is just outrageous.
”I think it is time for the Scottish Ambulance Service to pay closer attention to its paramedics and ensure they are doing their jobs properly.”
The Scottish Ambulance Service said: ”We are investigating an instance of unauthorised diversion during a response to a non-emergency call.
”While patient care was not affected, it did not meet the high standards of professionalism that our patients expect and is currently being dealt with internally in an appropriate manner.”
Dunfermline and West Fife MP Thomas Docherty, said: ”I was horrified to learn of this incident and the suggestion that patient care may have been put at risk by the actions of this member of staff.
”I have written to the chief executive of NHS Fife requesting a meeting once the facts of this case have been established.”
Dunfermline MSP Bill Walker said: ”I am shocked.
”Urgent means urgent if an ambulance crew made a detour to anywhere, that is just wrong.”
A Scottish Government spokesperson said: ”We would expect the Scottish Ambulance Service to thoroughly investigate any such matter and welcome confirmation that they are doing so.”