Grieving family demand change as vital stroke treatment not available at night

Anthony 'Tony' Bundy died aged 53 in June 2023 after it took 17 hours for him to receive thrombectomy surgery - a procedure not available in Scotland during the night.

The family of a Scots grandad who died from a stroke has called for a 24/7 blood clot service to prevent further deaths.

Anthony 'Tony' Bundy, from the Falkirk area, died aged 53 in June 2023 after it took 17 hours for him to receive thrombectomy surgery.

The delay happened because the procedure is not available in Scotland during the night.

Removing blood clots quickly gives stroke patients a higher chance of recovery — so delays can mean the difference between years of living independently, or severe disability or death.

Tony's son, local councillor James Bundy, has called for thrombectomies to be a treatment option at all hours of the day.

James said: "Two years ago, my Dad died of a stroke. It took 17 hours from the ambulance call to him receiving a life-saving thrombectomy. Why? Because Scotland doesn’t offer 24/7 thrombectomy.

"He was first taken to Glasgow Royal, then transferred to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital because thrombolysis isn’t available at weekends. Is this 21st century Scotland?

"Every delay costs lives. It’s time for a 24/7 thrombectomy service."

Grandfather of one James was initially taken to Glasgow Royal Infirmary after suffering from a stroke but had to be transferred to the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital because the Royal does not provide thrombolysis medication treatment at the weekend.

The housing industry director then had to wait until the morning for thrombectomy surgery because the service was only available 9am-5pm Monday to Friday.

A thrombectomy is a procedure for quickly removing blood clots. It is offered round the clock in England but is not available anywhere in Scotland after 9pm.

This means that for 11 of every 24 hours, people suffering a stroke have no immediate option of a thrombectomy.

Scottish Labour deputy leader Jackie Baillie said: “This is the human cost of the SNP’s failure to deliver 24/7 thrombectomy services.

“No family should have to suffer like the Bundy family has.

“Scottish Labour will continue to call for lifesaving 24/7 thrombectomy services to be introduced.”

It comes just a week after it was revealed that after average waits for blood clots to be removed racked up to more than two hours.

Figures obtained by Scottish Labour showed that patients are now waiting nearly ten minutes longer than they were in 2018.

The time it takes from calling an ambulance to receiving the treatment to remove the blood clot has risen to 126 minutes.

Public Health Minister Jenni Minto said: “I have met with the family of Mr Bundy and expressed my deepest sympathy at their loss.

“There is more to do to ensure everyone has access to thrombectomy services as quickly as possible in Scotland.

"We will continue to do all we can to increase access to these procedures and ensure everyone receives the best possible care.

“We are grateful to teams across Scotland for their excellent work in delivering and expanding services.

"Between 2022 and 2024 the number of patients able to access thrombectomy treatment from NHS Scotland almost doubled. More patients are receiving the standards of care in the stroke care bundle.”

A spokesperson for NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde said: "While NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde cannot discuss individual patient cases for reasons of confidentiality, we would once again like to express our deepest sympathy to this family.

"Our services follow national guidelines, and we fully support Scottish Government initiatives which aim to improve stroke symptom awareness.

"We have also engaged in further staff education on stroke symptoms."

To sign up to the Daily Record Politics newsletter, click here