An Orkney couple are calling for improvements to the islands’ air ambulance service because they believe a series of errors contributed to the death of their baby son.
Jennifer Graham waited for more than three hours for transport to take her off Stronsay after she went into early labour in October last year.
The air ambulance took her to Kirkwall, where a fixed wing aircraft took her to Aberdeen.
She finally arrived more than five hours after the GP called for an emergency transfer.
However it is believed that baby Jack died during the journey.
Now Mrs Graham and her husband Robin are speaking out about their experience in the hope that the service can be improved.
A review of their case found that a number of problems caused a delay, including communication issues.
Mr and Mrs Graham met representatives of the Scottish Ambulance Service this week to discuss their case.
Mrs Graham said that had the transfer taken place sooner, ambulance staff would have been able to monitor Jack, who had Down’s Syndrome and a heart condition.
She said: “We hope that they will be encouraged to see if there are any changes that can be made.”
Mr Graham, who was unable to travel on the helicopter to Kirkwall, added: “If something can be done to improve the service in Jack’s memory then that will help us .”
Councillor Stephen Hagan said that the ambulance service appeared to recognise that there were issues with the service.
He added that a “bolt on” service involving a locally based air ambulance could be one solution.
A spokesman for the ambulance service said: “Senior managers met with the community on Stronsay to explain arrangements for air ambulance transfers and discuss concerns that have been raised locally regarding transfer times.
“They will now review the issues raised, explore ways in which improvements can be made and feed back the outcomes to the community as part of an ongoing engagement programme. Currently, air transfers from the outer islands are undertaken by air ambulance helicopter, supported by search and rescue helicopters from Coastguard and MoD if required for an emergency during poor weather conditions.”
“Our heartfelt sympathies go out to the family for their loss and we have apologised to them for the delay that occurred during transfer to hospital.
“Senior managers met with the family to explain the circumstances of the response and the subsequent case review report.
“As a result of this case, a number of recommendations around the management of complex air transfers have been implemented to improve communication between clinicians and enhance the dispatch process.”