Wife is told to give her dying husband CPR in ambulance

Grieving widow's complaint backed by the Public Service Ombudsman

- VIVIENNE AITKEN

A WIFE was left to give her dying husband CPR in the back of an ambulance after a 999 medic could not do it.

Now ambulance chiefs have been ordered to apologise to the patient's grieving widow after Scotland's health watchdog upheld her complaint.

Last night Labour's health spokeswoman Jackie Baillie said it was "an absolutely shocking and distressing case".

She continued: "The time taken to convey this person to hospital may have cost them their life and urgent steps need to be taken to ensure this doesn't happen again." The widow, who has not been identified, called for an ambulance after her husband took ill at home but it took a long time to arrive.