A WOMAN whose vulnerable brother lay dying for more than 17 hours after calling 999 is demanding changes be made to the way emergency calls are handled.

Ronald Russell, 49, was found unconscious in his home -- more than 17 hours after he called an ambulance when he became ill.

Mr Russell, who suffered from mental illness and lived alone, called 999 at 5:45pm July 4 last year from his mobile phone.

The first question the Scottish Ambulance Service (SAS) call handler, who was following procedures, asked him was to confirm his telephone number.

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But the former landscape gardener said he couldn't remember the number and then collapsed after he went to try and find it.

The call handler tried to phone back three times but received no reply, so passed the case immediately to a supervisor.

But no action was taken to send an ambulance or police to Mr Russell's home in Cumbernauld, North Lanarkshire.

A neighbour who heard Mr Russell's alarm clock going off continuously the following morning called 999 and he was found unconscious at 11am.

He died later that day in hospital with the cause of death being given as a stroke.

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The SAS say they have changed their procedures following the tragic case, but Mr Russell's family say the changes do not go far enough.

Margo Cassidy, Mr Russell's sister, obtained a written telephone transcript of the call revealing the conversation with the call handler -- and the sound of a crash or a fall.

Mrs Cassidy, 52, wants the service's first question to be the caller's location rather than confirming their number which is already shown on the dispatcher's display.

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She said: "Ronald's call lasted two minutes and eight seconds.

"The transcript showed once he was put through he was able to speak for a short time.

"They asked him to confirm his telephone number and he said: 'oh, I don't know it, I've got it written down somewhere.'

"There were moans and groans from Ronald and the sound of a crash.

"We knew the layout of Ronald's flat so we can work out where he would have collapsed.

"We don't understand why the caller couldn't have looked up Ronald's address on their system from when he had phoned them before when he was ill."

Mrs Cassidy, a manager at a security alarm company, has now launched a campaign for change.

She added: "We're doing this campaign because don't want anyone else to suffer like Ronald or for other families to have to go through what we have."

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Mrs Cassidy submitted a complaint and received an apology from Pauline Howie, the ambulance service's chief executive.

The SAS also admitted actions had "fallen below standards."

Mr Russell's other sister, Janette Russell, 46, said the experience for her family has been "horrendous".

She said: "They [SAS] never took his call further when it was obvious something was wrong.

"In the transcript, it's clear there was a crash and that he was groaning.

"It's been very hard grieving for our brother and dealing with all of this at the same time.

"This is not just for Ronald, it's for everyone. "

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Miles Briggs, Scottish Conservative Shadow Health Secretary, is now calling for the protocol regarding the initial question confirming the caller's telephone number to be changed to avoid further distressing incidents.

He said: "It is clear from what has happened in this incident that questions need to be asked about the protocol that is currently in place.

"If operators can see the number that someone is calling from, the person should be kept on the line, rather than going to check what their phone number is.

"The correct protocol needs to put in place so that this never happens again to someone who is vulnerable."

A spokesman for the ambulance service said: "This was a very unfortunate matter and we have met with the family to discuss the case and offer our sympathies.

"Asking for a telephone number at the start of a call is vital as it enables our dispatchers to quickly ring back if a connection is interrupted.

"However, following a review of the case, we have amended our procedures for calls with no confirmed location.

"Call handlers will attempt to return a call three times; if this fails it is passed to a supervisor who will carry out further location searches using mobile phone triangulation and by contacting Police Scotland for assistance."