The Scottish Ambulance Service has apologised for not properly assessing an "anxious" patient who later died in hospital.
The parents of 'A', as named in an official report, found them to be anxious and unwell one morning and phoned a GP to check on them.
Following a visit at home, the GP recommended A be admitted to hospital and an ambulance was called.
'A' suffered from anxiety and a functional neurological illness which is a condition in which patients experience neurological symptoms such as weakness, movement disorders, sensory symptoms and blackouts.
The GP and the hospital discussed which department the patient should be admitted to, the Mental Health Unit or the Clinical Assessment Unit.
Once under care of the ambulance crew, 'A' was transported to hospital where they were quickly assessed and taken to the Intensive Care Unit.
Tragically, 'A' died later that day.
One of 'A''s parents lodged a complaint to the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman (SPSO) claiming that the ambulance crew did not take their adult child’s observations, failed to follow protocol and failed to take them to the Clinical Assessment Unit straight away.
SPSO upheld this complaint after investigating and taking independent advice from a paramedic.
In their ruling they stated that: "We found that the ambulance crew attended promptly and appropriately transferred 'A' to hospital.
"However, during their time at 'A''s address they did not carry out or document a thorough patient assessment.
"There were multiple assessment tools (F.A.S.T; blood oxygen saturation levels) which could have been used and were not.
"When 'A''s breathing rate was abnormally high, further action was not taken as it should have been."
The SPSO asked the ambulance service to apologise to 'A''s parents and share the findings with the crew involved.
A Scottish Ambulance Service spokesperson extended their sympathies to the family.
They said: “This is a tragic case and we would again like to extend our deepest sympathies to the family for their loss.
“We cannot comment in detail on individual cases due to patient confidentiality but we have worked alongside the ombudsman throughout their investigation.
“We note the SPSO’s findings, and have since undertaken all the recommendations made. We are very sorry for the outcome.”
