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Woman asked during 999 call to examine husband to confirm his death

Catherine Steele Catherine Steele and her husband Anthony. Catherine has shoulder length blonde hair and is wearing a blue and white dress. Anthony is bald and has a short grey moustache. He has his arm around Catherine and is wearing a light pink shirt and dark pink tie.Catherine Steele
Catherine Steele's husband Anthony died from stomach cancer

A grieving woman told to examine her husband to confirm he was dead has said it remains in her mind every time she closes her eyes.

Catherine Steele's husband Anthony died in May and after being told there was no ambulance available to come to their home, she was asked to make a video call.

"I had to do his pulse on his wrists, and on his neck and then I had to open his eyes up for the video," Mrs Steele said.

The Northern Ireland Ambulance Service (NIAS) apologised and said: "We are sorry that she did not experience the level of service that she would rightly expect at this particularly difficult time."

Health Minister Mike Nesbitt also apologised and promised to investigate how the incident happened and "seek assurances for the future".

Best of Nolan: Listen to Stephen's full interview with Catherine Steele

'No ambulance available'

Mr Steele, who was from north Belfast, was diagnosed with stomach cancer in October 2024.

The 61-year-old died on 25 May and his wife called a 24-hour district nurse helpline to ask for assistance.

No one picked up and her sister then called 999.

Mrs Steele's sister was told an ambulance would be sent out but none arrived.

Her sister then had to leave to pick up Mrs Steele's son from work, leaving her alone with her husband.

Mrs Steele later received a call to say an ambulance would not be arriving and was asked to take part in a video call.

Speaking to BBC Radio Ulster's Nolan Show, she said she had been prescribed sleeping tablets due to suffering from insomnia since her husband's death.

"I just close my eyes and see his eyes, and it just replays back and back and back on your mind."

It was after she had checked all his vital signs that the medical professional on the video call confirmed Mrs Steele's husband was dead.

Getty Images A yellow ambulance with a green and yellow battenburg pattern on the side and orange and yellow diagonal stripes on its back doors. It is driving along a motorway.Getty Images
Catherine Steele was told no ambulance was available

She was also asked to contact a doctor, who sent out the district nurse.

"It's just my last memory of him and it's just in my mind every time I close my eyes," she said.

"It's not acceptable, I know the ambulance service and the NHS is under strain but I just feel it should never happen again.

"I don't want this to happen to anybody."

In a statement, the NIAS said: "We will contact Mrs Steele to arrange to meet her and apologise to her in person and, more importantly, to listen to her concerns that we might learn from her experience to help ensure that no-one else would have to go through the same."