It has now become known that the woman subsequently died.
In a shocking incident, a patient declared ‘dead’ by ambulance crews in Britain woke up hours later in a hospital. Notably, a 50-year-old woman was taken to Darlington Memorial Hospital in County Durham on Friday by paramedics who believed she had died following an ‘incident’ earlier that day. The guard reported. However, she later revived in the hospital.
Following the incident, the North East Ambulance Service (NEAS) apologized to the patient’s family and said an investigation had been launched.
Andrew Hodge, Director of Paramedicine, said: “As soon as we became aware of this incident we opened an investigation and contacted the patient’s family. We are deeply sorry for the distress this has caused them. A full review of this incident is underway and we cannot comment further at this stage. The colleagues involved are being appropriately supported and we will not be commenting further on individuals at this time.”
It has now become known that the woman subsequently died. Durham police told The Independent“Officers are investigating the death of a woman in her fifties. The death is currently being treated as unexpected and an autopsy will now be carried out.”
The incident comes five months after a report was published claiming North East Ambulance Service staff had covered up mistakes and withheld evidence from inquests. One case was highlighted, noting how a paramedic declared a teenager dead instead of attempting CPR.
The report states: ‘Leadership dysfunction was allowed to continue for far too long and had a major impact on the way teams functioned across directorates. The defensive posture grew and affected team operations, transparency, candor and judgment. They also had a clear impact on the health and wellbeing of staff.”
Dame Marianne Griffiths, who published the report, paid tribute to the families who shared their experiences, saying: ‘It is clear that they are devastated not only by the loss of their loved ones but also by the ambulance service’s response to legitimate questions about their care. ”
