A cancer patient died after a 999 call handler told her partner the NHS 'couldn't magic an ambulance' and 'we don't have ambulances waiting on street corners', a report has found.
It took three 999 calls and 39 minutes before paramedics arrived at Violet Alliston's home in Bishop Auckland, County Durham, by which time it was too late to save her.
That was despite a lone paramedic arriving on the scene five minutes after the first call. The worker was sent away for 'safety' reasons - because the family was swearing in panic.
Anger: Colin Gash is suing the NHS after a 999 call handler told him the service couldn't 'magic an ambulance'. He was calling in a distressed state as his partner Violet Alliston (right) lay dying
Ambulance chiefs have apologised for their handling of the 57-year-old's case after her partner of 30 years said: 'It was like we were just a number and not human beings'.
Colin Gash is now suing the North East Ambulance Service for clinical negligence, adding: 'It's not about the compensation. I just don't want anyone else to have to go through what we did.'
Ms Alliston was at home with Mr Gash and their two sons Shaun, 34, and Dean, 32, when she suffered abdominal pain on June 21 this year.
Mr Gash called for an ambulance at 9.38am, and a single-driver rapid response car arrived on the scene a few minutes later.
But it was sent away because the 999 handler thought the family was being abusive and the situation may be unsafe for the lone paramedic, an internal review found.
A second ambulance had been assigned at the same time, but was redirected to a higher priority call in nearby Darlington.
The family called back at 9.53am in an increasingly desperate state.
A third vehicle - again a rapid response car - was assigned but was stood down before reaching the scene.
Death: Ms Alliston was in her home in Bishop Auckland when she was struck with severe pain
Finally a fourth vehicle was tasked at 10.02am and arrived at the house at 10.17am, by which time the family had made another frantic 999 call.
Ms Alliston was pronounced dead shortly afterwards - and meanwhile a fifth vehicle had to be stood down because it needed refuelling.
The report, carried out by the ambulance trust's Root Cause Analysis investigation panel, found the call handler had mistaken the family's panic-stricken tone for anger.
Interim chief executive Roger French confirmed the call handler had said they 'couldn't magic an ambulance' and 'we don't have ambulances waiting on street corners'.
'The call handler responded inappropriately to the caller when he asked how long the ambulance would take,' he added. 'This showed a lack of empathy towards the distressed caller.
'The call handler failed to recognise that the raised voices from the caller and the patient's son were not aggression, but frustration due to the scene unfolding before their eyes.
'The patient was clearly critically ill and they displayed this fear by shouting and swearing. The patient's son was calmed when advised that an ambulance was travelling.
'The call handler made a decision to categorise the call as unsuitable for a rapid response paramedic, believing the scene to be potentially unsafe for a lone worker.
'This resulted in the rapid response paramedic being instructed to leave the scene shortly after arrival.'
The report added the 999 call handler also failed to confirm whether Ms Alliston was conscious, even after being given information which suggested she could have passed out.
'The call handler failed to confirm what the main concern was and chose to triage the abdominal pain regardless,' the report said.
Mr Gash, a refuge worker for Durham County Council and a carer to his two sons, said: 'It was awful to see me and my boys watching their mother, and my partner, dying in front of us.
'The stress and trauma we went through was unbelievable, which should not have happened.
'We did not have time to even say goodbye properly, it was like we were just a number and not human beings. I would not wish this on my worst enemy.'
Bolton-based Asons Solicitors are now representing Mr Gash in a claim against the NHS.
He said he and Ms Alliston had planned to get married on October 30 this year.
'We didn't think we were treated right,' he said. 'We are not saying she wouldn't have died but at least she would have had a chance. It has put my two lads through so much.'
Mr French wrote: 'It was agreed that the call handler failed to achieve a satisfactory level of performance and had not carried out their duties to the standards required.
'As a result the call handler has been referred to be dealt with under the Trust's Capability Policy with the aim to improve the level of service provided.'
He added procedures had been 'reinforced' throughout the department and the investigation had been shared with the North of England Commissioning Support Unit.
County Durham coroner Andrew Tweddle has cancelled an inquest because Ms Alliston's death was due to natural causes.
Yvonne Ormston, the current ambulance trust chief executive, said: 'This is a tragic case and the Trust would like to offer our most sincere condolences to the family.
'The Trust identified concerns with the quality of the 999 call and launched an internal investigation.
'As a part of this process, the case was deemed a Serious Incident and was therefore externally reported to North of England Commissioning Support, who manage the Ambulance contract on behalf of 12 clinical commissioning groups in the North East.
'The investigation findings were shared with the next of kin by an appointed Family Liaison Office.
'The Trust also made direct contact with HM Coroner to disclose our concerns and update them regarding the investigation.
'A number of errors were identified and for that the Trust would like to again apologise unreservedly to the family, as well as offering reassurances that lessons have been learnt.'
Bishop Auckland's Labour MP Helen Goodman revealed she has had several complaints about the same ambulance service.
She told MailOnline: 'We've had many complaints about the North East Ambulance Service in recent months and I'm very sorry to hear about what happened to Ms Alliston.
'It's clear to me that there is a serious problem in the management of the North East Ambulance Service from the number of complaints I've been getting.
'This case is particularly bad but long waits are a big problem. Another problem is the unhelpfulness of call handlers on the telephone.
'Obviously there is a resource problem. The call handlers wouldn't be challenging the public if they could get the ambulances out to people.'
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2847266/Cancer-patient-died-home-999-handler-said-NHS-couldn-t-magic-ambulance.html#ixzz3K0ef3tdq
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