Anthony Bundy died at Glasgow Royal Infirmary after his stroke symptoms were allegedly missed by medics, which saw him wait for more than five hours for treatment
A grandad died in the corridor of a hospital after waiting more than five hours with his stroke symptoms allegedly missed by medics.
Anthony Bundy, 53, died at Glasgow Royal Infirmary while waiting to be seen after having suffering a separate cerebrovascular accident earlier.
Initially, his stroke presented with symptoms not covered under FAST – an acronym used to help detect symptoms of a stroke. As a result, his GP, call handlers, paramedics, and nurses all missed the warning signs.
When an ambulance was initially refused, Mr Bundy, from Glasgow, was left waiting more than five and a half hours in an A&E corridor before his fatal stroke struck and by then, it was too late.
His family have since campaigned for the FAST test to be extended to BE FAST, to include Balance and Eyes to the list of symptoms. Currently, the acronym stands for Facial drooping, Arm weakness, Speech difficulties and Time to call emergency services.
Anthony’s family argue that had BE FAST been public knowledge at the time of his stroke, his life could have been saved. But after years of campaigning, their bid was rejected by the Stroke Association, who said: “We don’t agree with changing the FAST campaign that goes out as public messaging – it really needs to be kept really simple and focused on stroke.”
The FAST test is an NHS-led campaign, which is supported by the Stroke Association. Reacting to the decision, Anthony’s son James told the Record: “It’s patronising to suggest the public can’t grasp BE FAST. Do they really believe families like mine are too stupid to remember a simple message that could save lives? We are outraged by this out-of-touch and dangerous stance.
“Last year, they acknowledged the need to explore evidence-based improvements. Now, they’ve reversed their stance and refuse even to support a trial of BE FAST.”
Summarising his family’s position, James said: “FAST can miss up to one in five strokes. The excuse made by the Stroke Association that BE FAST is too complicated is an insult to every family who has lost a loved one. My dad’s stroke didn’t care about keeping things simple for a slogan.
“Clinging to FAST when we know its failing people isn’t noble – it’s reckless, especially when there is already an alternative in the form of BE FAST. I lost my dad to these failures. How many more families have to suffer before something changes?”
John Watson, associate director for the Stroke Association in Scotland, said: “We understand why Tony Bundy’s family feel so strongly about how the system failed him. It was a tragedy, and we sympathise with anyone who has lost a loved one due to a stroke.
“When we first met the family last year, we acknowledged there had been no trials directly comparing how the public respond to FAST and BE FAST messaging. There have now been two such trials and in both cases the use of BE FAST led to poorer public recollection of stroke symptoms.
“This suggests that a shift to BE FAST in public awareness campaigns would lead to poorer public recognition of strokes. The Stroke Association firmly believes that such a change would not save lives, it could do the opposite and increase pressure on the NHS. Our position is part of a strong consensus across the stroke community, including the medical profession, academics and other charities, as was clear from evidence to the Scottish Parliament’s Public Petitions Committee earlier this month.”
