Source · Prevention of Future Deaths
Monica Lewis-Hinds
Ref: 2016-0133
Date: 6 Apr 2016
Coroner: Selena Lynch
Area: London (South)
Responses identified: 0 / 1
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The ambulance service's call triage protocol is inadequate as call handlers do not proactively ask about the "type of fit," potentially missing critical information for patient care.
Date
6 Apr 2016
56-day deadline
6 Jun 2016
Responses identified
0 of 1
Coroner's concerns
The ambulance service's call triage protocol is inadequate as call handlers do not proactively ask about the "type of fit," potentially missing critical information for patient care.
View full coroner's concerns
_ _ The protocol used by the London Ambulance Service to triage calls includes a question about the_type of fit,but the question is not posed by the call handler to the caller, and the section is only completed if the caller offers the information. In view of the potential consequences for the patient, this part of the protocol may require amendment, so that the question is pre-emptively in all cases_
Report sections
Circumstances of the death
Ms Lewis-Hinds suffered from poorly controlled epilepsy. An ambulance was requested to attend her home just after midnight on 16th January 2015 as she had suffered seizure The seizure was atypical, something which raises the priority of the call to Red 2 ( response time of 8 minutes). The type of seizure was not ascertained by the call handler, resulting in a delayed response. It was not possible to ascertain whether the delay caused or contributed to the fatal outcome
Action should be taken
In my opinion action should be taken to prevent future deaths and believe you have the power to take such action_
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Report details
- Reference
- 2016-0133
- Date of report
- 6 April 2016
- Coroner
- Selena Lynch
- Coroner area
- London (South)
Responses identified
Responses identified
0 of 1
1 response not yet linked
Organisations named in PFD reports are normally expected to respond within 56 days. Deadline: 6 Jun 2016.
Sent to
- London Ambulance Service