A paramedic has come under fire for not cutting short his lunch break to help a woman who had suffered a heart attack.
An ambulance technician responded to an emergency call in Fraserburgh, Scotland, but was not accompanied by a paramedic, who was on a lunch break. The woman died in hospital two days later.
The Scottish Ambulance Service said employees could not be disturbed during breaks. However, it said employees could choose to attend calls during break periods.
A spokesman for the Scottish Ambulance Service said: "Under the rules of the UK Government's Agenda for Change NHS pay modernisation programme, ambulance crews are entitled to a break during their shift and cannot be disturbed during that period."
"All ambulance services in the UK must comply with these rules, unless staff choose individually to be interrupted during their break."