Family anger over Scotland's failure to give 24/7 stroke treatment

The Herald Scotland

29-05-2025

The family has told The Herald he had to wait 17 hours for the surgery that might have saved his life and is demanding changes to treatment in Scotland.
It has emerged that an NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde's Significant Adverse Event Review (SAER) into Mr Bundy's death from August of last year, seen by The Herald states that there is no night-time provision - between 8pm and 8am - for thrombectomy across any health board area in Scotland.
A thrombectomy is a surgery to remove a blood clot from an artery or vein and is used to treat some ischaemic stroke patients.
Ischaemic stroke is the most common type of stroke caused by a blood clot cutting off blood flow to part of the brain.
The procedure can restore blood flow to vital organs, like legs, arms, intestines, kidneys, brain or other vital organs. It can reduce the risk of death or permanent disability if performed promptly.
Mr Bundy's family told The Herald that they believe that treatment failure is costing lives.
Mr Bundy's son, James, a Falkirk councillor said: "When my dad suffered a stroke, he had to wait 17 hours for the surgery that might have saved him. Seventeen hours - not because of a lack of skill or care, but because the treatment wasn't available. That delay changed everything for him, and for us.
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"In Scotland today, if you have a stroke outside of office hours, your chances of recovery fall sharply. Thrombectomy, one of the most effective treatments for major strokes, is only. There is no night-time provision of thrombectomy anywhere in Scotland, and some hospitals have zero provision at weekends. That means we're living with a part-time NHS, where the time and day you fall ill can decide your fate."
James Bundy (left) with father Tony (Image: Contributed) It has come despite the launch three years ago of the Scottish Government's Stroke Improvement Plan emphasises equitable and timely access to diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation services across all regions.
The 2019/20 and 2020/21Programmes for Government made a number of commitments on stroke, including commitments to develop a national thrombectomy service and to "scope out and define what a progressive stroke service looks like".
The family says that when Mr Bundy was in the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow they were told surgery could not commence until the morning as it was in the patient's best interests.
But they feel this was untrue as they believe the quicker a thrombectomy is conducted, the more effective it is.
They say that the reason he had to wait was "simple" - no thrombectomy services were offered until 9am.
"This isn't just a theoretical failure. It's a real one—with real consequences," Mr Bundy told The Herald. "My dad's story proves that. And what deepens our grief is knowing that the delay wasn't necessary. It happened because the system simply wasn't there when he needed it.
"No family in Scotland should have to experience that kind of preventable loss. But we're determined not to let our anger turn into despair. Instead, we're channelling it into change.
It comes as the rate of strokes in Scotland continues to cause concern as the third biggest cause of death in Scotland after heart disease and cancer.
The European Standardised Rate for strokes in Scotland in 2022-23 year was 479.2 per 100,000 of population, the highest since the start of Public Health Scotland's records in 2013-14, when it was 398.0.
Nearly 20,000 Scots have died from strokes over five years to the end of 2022.
There were 3,806 deaths in Scotland in 2023 where cerebrovascular disease, including stroke, was the underlying cause.
The family fought and won the right to a review last year over education surrounding the detection of strokes in Scotland following concerns that flaws were costing lives.
When Mr Bundy's stroke started, his face, arms, and speech were unaffected, meaning that his FAST (Face, Arms, Speech, Time) test was negative.
The FAST test is used to assess a patient for the most common symptoms of stroke.
However the family of the usually fit and healthy 53-year-old say he "lost his balance, his eyes were struggling to focus, and he was throwing up".
The family say while they raised concerns that it could be a stroke, because his FAST test was negative, he was left in a corridor within the Glasgow Royal A&E department for over five hours before his fatal stroke struck.
The family has been calling for an update to the stroke public health awareness campaign.
Glasgow Royal Infirmary (Image: ColinMearns/Herald&Times) They say that whilst the FAST campaign has undoubtedly saved lives, the over-reliance on a public health campaign which does not include all symptoms has resulted in strokes, like Mr Bundy's being "misdiagnosed and people dying prematurely".
They called for review of the FAST stroke campaign to ensure that it includes all symptoms of a potential stroke including the inability to stand, cold sweats, eyes struggling to focus, slowed speech, nausea, and vomiting. They say it is intended to maximise knowledge amongst the general public and medical profession.
Mr Bundy added: "When my Dad fell ill, an ambulance was called but not despatched, at around 430pm on June 25. The reason was that a stroke was ruled out because of FAST.
"Throughout the day, stroke was further ruled out by paramedics, triage, and nurses because my dad's symptoms were out with FAST.
"Therefore, if thrombectomy was still available 24/7, he wouldn't have received it because the medical professionals and call handlers ruled out stroke because of the reliance on FAST.
"This reliance on FAST 'directly contributed' to my dad's death, according to the SAER report
"I therefore, cannot say that 24/7 thrombectomy would definitely have saved my dad's life because it wasn't the only factor that contributed."
But he said that stroke was suspected by medical staff in the Glasgow Royal Infirmary later that night at 11pm.
"But because of the lack of 24/7 thrombectomy, he couldn't get the surgery until 9:30am on Monday 26th June. That delay led to diminishing chances of survival," he said.
Opposition spokespeople from Labour, the Conservatives, the Lib Dems, and the Greens have united to demand 24/7 access to thrombectomy treatment in Scotland.
In a joint letter to health secretary Neil Gray they highlight the urgent need to end the current postcode-and-clock lottery that leaves stroke patients without access to life-saving care outside weekday hours.
They say: "Shockingly, some hospitals still do not provide thrombolysis services at all. These gaps in stroke care are causing catastrophic delays in treatment and, in too many cases, preventable deaths."
They said that Mr Bundy's case was "unacceptable".
"It is not an isolated case," the said. "People are dying because essential stroke care is not consistently available across Scotland."
Mr Bundy added: "We're grateful for the cross-party support we've received, and we are hopeful that by speaking out, we can help build a stroke care system that is fast, fair, and available to everyone—24/7."
Two years doctors and charities urged the Government to reverse cuts in funding for thrombectomy amid fears that it will leave hundreds of stroke patients avoidably disabled.
In a joint letter to the then health secretary Humza Yousaf, more than 150 stroke clinicians backed calls from Chest, Heart & Stroke Scotland (CHSS) and the Stroke Association warning that the spending cuts and recruitment freeze would backfire.