Errors caused 50 per cent of serious ambulance incidences

Over half of all serious incidents where patients came to harm involving West Midlands Ambulance Service (WMAS) were due to clinical mistakes, with an audit finding choking management, inappropriate patient discharges and cardiac arrests as themes.

It also noted a decision to close all community ambulance stations was taken without first conducting a full risk assessment on the impact of safety, although WMAS said its ambulance station closure programme had been independently validated.

After the serious incidents number increased from 138 in 2021-22 to 327 in 2022-23, an audit by the ambulance service found that 53 per cent were due to errors with their treatment.

Sources say the trust also delayed investigating 5,000 serious patient incidents.

It said a significant percentage of its serious incidents were caused by ambulances being delayed outside hospitals while paramedics waited to hand over patients, which then impacted on other aspects of its service.

It said “When we realised what was happening we put in place additional checks.  As a result, we have seen the number of serious incidents come down.”

Communications director at the trust Murray MacGregor, said “The trust looked at what was going on and took necessary action to remedy the situation.”

WMAS says they are taking on ten additional staff to look into patient safety incidents and has a new system in place with regard to the backlog of 5,000 cases.

Mr McGregor went on to say “As part of that, we have identified a number of incidents that were not investigated as they should be.  We have now examined all of those cases.”

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Posted by Karen Motley, Clinical Negligence Department, Chadwick Lawrence LLP (jacquelinevance@chadlaw.co.uk), medical negligence lawyers and clinical negligence solicitors in Huddersfield, Leeds, Wakefield and Halifax, West Yorkshire.

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