Ambulance staff left brain injury man for 45 mins due to lunchbreak An ambulance had been available in Sleaford, 24 minutes away. However, Simon Tomlinson of EMAS told the inquest that vehicle was not allocated because the paramedics were "outside of the resourcing window." That meant they were on a lunch break. Explaining that there had been "a resourcing problem," he admitted: "It's not the service we like to provide. It's not acceptable. However, Mr Tomlinson, service delivery manager of the ambulance service's control room, also said such a situation was "not a one off." Phil Milligan, the service's chief executive, said ambulance staff had to take half-hour meal breaks for safety and employment rights reasons. He said: "Our practice on meal breaks comply, as they must, with the national NHS Agenda for Change employee terms and conditions, which require staff to be given a 30-minute undisturbed break." He continued: "Working non-stop would create very tired crews and significantly increase the risk of them making a mistake later in the shift." The first ambulance, with just one paramedic, arrived at 3.39pm. Another was requested because more support and equipment was needed. It arrived 18 minutes later. Mr Tinsley died from pneumonia and a cerebral contusion caused by the fall. Mr Fisher recorded an open verdict, saying he could not be sure the delay had contributed to the death. However, he described the "considerable delay" as "alarming," particularly because of the patient's "potentially life-threatening condition." "It seems the current procedure is inflexible and needs to be looked at," he said of the meal break system, before adding: "I would have thought the main priority to the organisation should be the patient." Mr Fisher has now written to Mr Milligan expressing his concerns.