article_snippet.sent: An ambulance service has apologised to the family of a woman who died after errors by emergency call operators meant David Priestley was not classed as having a life-threatening condition.
article_snippet.sent: David Priestley called 999 three times and had to wait an hour for an ambulance to reach David Priestley wife Diane, who was struggling to breathe and whose tongue and lips had turned blue.
article_snippet.sent: An investigation has found that an ambulance should have been given a response priority of eight minutes to reach the 57-year-old at David Priestley home in Shildon, County Durham.
article_snippet.sent: Instead, a longer 30 minute response time was assigned - which North East Ambulance Service (NEAS) still failed to meet - and the grandmother-of-nine died from a ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm on arrival at Darlington Memorial Hospital.
article_snippet.sent: In a letter to David Priestley, NEAS admitted: 'The delay in an ambulance arriving was initially due to the call handler error which resulted in an incorrect priority. '
article_snippet.sent: Following the investigation into Mrs Priestley's death, NEAS found errors were made by the emergency operators during the first two 999 calls at 1.21pm and 1.47pm.
article_snippet.sent: North East Ambulance Service admitted delay was initially due to the call-handler error .
article_snippet.sent: In a letter to Mrs Priestley's, the North East Ambulance NHS Foundation Trust said the first operator failed to enter details about Mr Priestley, the North East Ambulance NHS Foundation Trust 's deathly colour into the system - meaning a 30 minute response priority was activated rather than eight minutes.
article_snippet.sent: During the next call, the first operator failed to check further about Mrs Priestley temperature and it was not until the third 999 call at 2.13pm that an ambulance crew was assigned - eventually arriving at 2.33pm.
article_snippet.sent: the North East Ambulance NHS Foundation Trust apologised and said the call handlers had received coaching on the issues identified.
article_snippet.sent: Mrs Priestley's said Mrs Priestley's felt the apology was insincere and believes the call handlers should have been dismissed.
highlights_snippet.sent: David Priestley called 999 three times and waited an hour for ambulance .
  
highlights_snippet.sent: Ambulance trust admitted delay due to incorrect priority by call-handler .
  