A WOMAN wept yesterday as she described how her seriously ill fiancé had to get out of bed and crawl across the floor to speak to an NHS24 adviser hours before he died.

Steven Wiseman had been told days before by the out-of-hours telephone service that he had a “bad dose of the flu” for which there was no cure and had been advised to take paracetamol and ibuprofen.

As his condition worsened, his partner, Kerry Robertson, was told by NHS24 to keep giving him painkillers. She was later advised to wait until his own doctor’s surgery opened to call for medical treatment.

But when a doctor eventually arrived at the family home in Laurencekirk, Kincardineshire, Mr Wiseman was gravely ill. He asked his fiancé for a kiss and was then taken to hospital where he died of septic shock.

Yesterday Miss Robertson said that she wanted answers as to why Mr Wiseman had died.

She was giving evidence at a joint fatal accident inquiry being held at Aberdeen Sheriff Court into the deaths of Mr Wiseman, 30, and 17-year-old Shomi Miah, of Aberdeen, who died of meningitis. Both their families have blamed failures by NHS24 for the deaths.

Miss Robertson, 29, said her fiancé had begun complaining of a sore upper left arm on December 14 last year. She thought he seemed “fluey” and gave him medicine containing paracetamol and tried to cool him by giving him ice-lollies.

Mr Wiseman then began complaining of a sore throat, a “buzzy” head and seemed sleepy. Miss Robertson also noticed part of his arm was a slightly unusual colour, but she thought that might be due to eczema.

On December 19 his condition had not improved and she phoned NHS24. During the call — recordings of which were played in court — the nurse adviser is heard telling Miss Robertson that it sounded as if her fiancé had a “real dose of the flu”, for which there was no cure, and that it could last for up to ten days.

Miss Robertson is heard telling the adviser that Mr Wiseman’s arm was a “funny colour”, to which the adviser replied that it was probably because he was not moving about. She advised Miss Robertson to give him paracetamol and ibuprofen. The next day Mr Wiseman’s GP visited. He said that the arm was “a bit stiff” and suggested that Mr Wiseman tried to exercise it.

At 3am on December 22, Miss Robertson called NHS24 a second time as her fiancé’s condition had deteriorated.

The nurse adviser said: “We will probably have to speak to him.” Miss Robertson replied: “He can’t come to the phone . . . because he is in a lot of pain.” Mr Wiseman is then heard speaking to the adviser. Miss Robertson is told to keep giving him painkillers.

During the playback of the tape, Miss Robertson was visibly upset and some members of the Wiseman family left the court room.

At 5am, Miss Robertson phoned NHS24 again and about 15 minutes later a doctor returned her call, telling her to give her fiancé two more painkillers and to wait until their own surgery opened at 8am.

Miss Robertson phoned the surgery and a doctor visited at 8.25am. “He took one look at Steven and said, ‘We’re going to have to get him in’,” said Miss Robertson.

“Steven asked where and he said, ‘Aberdeen Infirmary’ and then went to phone an ambulance.”

Miss Robertson added that her fiancé “kissed me and then his Mum and then he died for a few seconds”. Paramedics treated him before taking him to the hospital, where he died.

The inquiry continues.

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