Ambulance worker is demoted

man blew whistle on paramedic who refused to answer 999 call

By Jamie Buchan

Published:

A Fraserburgh ambulance worker, who blew the whistle on a colleague for refusing to attend a 999 call because he was on his tea break, has been demoted.

Alexander McLeman, who has worked in the Broch for 30 years, yesterday took up a new post as a part-time relief worker at Banff, following disciplinary action.

Mr McLeman broke strict Scottish Ambulance Service rules last year when he alerted the media to paramedic Alfred Park, who had refused to respond to an emergency call to help a dying woman who lived just 300 yards from the Broch base.

Catherine Cowie, 50, had a heart attack at her home in Union Grove and an ambulance technician went to the house, while Mr Park stayed on his break.

An ambulance was called and Mrs Cowie was taken to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary where she died two days later.

Mr Park was publicly criticised by Mrs Cowie’s daughter, Christine, of Anderson Court, Fraserburgh.

The ambulance service stood by Mr Park, 54, of Robertson Road, and insisted that ambulance crews were entitled to a break during their shift and could not be disturbed during that period.

But last night, Mr McLeman’s mother, Elizabeth, of Kennedy Place, Fraserburgh, called for her son to be reinstated.

She said: “I think the ambulance service should be ashamed of themselves if that’s how they treat staff after 30 years’ service.

“Now my son has been forced to cancel some small luxuries that he has worked for all of his life, because of the expense of travelling to Banff from Fraserburgh every morning.”

Yesterday a spokesman for the Scottish Ambulance Service said: “We cannot comment on internal matters relating to individual members of staff.”