A CORONER has criticised the response of emergency services after a Poole engineer waited for two hours in agonising pain for an ambulance before his death.

Michael Holman had suffered a devastating aneurysm but his condition was not recognised and emergency transport to hospital was delayed on a busy Christmas Eve, Assistant Dorset Coroner Richard Middleton was told.

Since his death, South Western Ambulance Service Trust has carried out an investigation and concluded that there were “avoidable delays” in Mr Holman’s treatment.

The Bournemouth inquest heard the 61-year-old father, who had no medical history, got ready for work on December 24 last year but was unable to go due to severe pain.

His wife, Jean, called 111 for advice at around 7.40am and was told to contact his GP when the surgery opened at 8.30am.

But the inquest was told the 111 call handler had noted some information wrongly by clicking in the wrong box on a screen and that Mr Holman should have been the subject of a more urgent response.

The inquest heard his condition deteriorated rapidly and that Mrs Holman made a 999 call at 8.51am. A specialist paramedic arrived at their home in Brampton Road, Oakdale half-an-hour later but when he requested an ambulance, it did not turn up until 10.51am.

By the time Mr Holman got to Poole Hospital at 11.23am he was unconscious and had no pulse and, despite CPR, he went into cardiac arrest and was pronounced dead at 12.21pm.

The inquest was also told that specialist paramedic Matthew Smith gave Mr Holman five doses of pain-killing drugs as well as oxygen and fluids while they were waiting for an ambulance, which travelled from Swanage via the chain ferry.

Mr Smith said he did not suspect an aneurysm at first but upgraded his request for an ambulance to Priority 1 when he thought it could be an aneurysm.

Mrs Holman said: “We needed an ambulance. That is what I thought happened when you rang 999. When the ambulance ladies arrived they were very laid back and not in a hurry.”

Representatives from the South Western Ambulance Service Trust said the morning of Christmas Eve last year was busy with 10 per cent more emergencies than had been anticipated.

Recording a verdict of accidental death, Mr Middleton, said: “In this case the issue is the speed in which the care was provided to Mr Holman and the speed in which he was taken to hospital.

“Mr Holman wasn’t treated as promptly as he should have been and SWAS resources were not allocated as directly as they should have been.”