Paramedics who gave a young mother the all-clear hours before she died had a ‘significant gap in their training’, lawyers representing her family have claimed.
Lauren Page Smith, 29, was discovered with her two-year-old daughter clinging to her chest trying to wake her up at her Wolverhampton home in January.
Michael Portman-Hann, an associate at the law firm representing the Smith family, told a newspaper outlet that this was ‘a truly tragic case’ and called for ‘swift’ and ‘thorough’ improvements to prevent it happening again.
The lawyer at FBC Mandy Bowdler said, the conclusions of the investigation demonstrated that Lauren’s symptoms were not appreciated and the paramedics were falsely reassured, but also that there was a significant gap in their training and skill set.
The lawyer said that Lauren’s family and I had a number of concerns about the care which Lauren received, but also about the wider implications for future patients of the Ambulance Service.
They said that the Service recognises that improvements need to be made, and it’s really important for them that these are implemented thoroughly, competently and swiftly to ensure that no more avoidable deaths occur under their care.
Lauren’s family claimed that she had complained of chest pains and vomiting. Her mother Emma Carrington believes paramedics didn’t take the concerning condition of her daughter seriously.
She said that they believed that because of her age and the fact that she was calm the paramedics didn’t think she could be as ill as she was and that she didn’t get the care that she needed.
She said there were simply no words to describe how they felt as a family and that through no fault of her own, her daughter doesn’t have a future and her granddaughter will grow up never knowing her mother.
Ms Carrington, who discovered her daughter dead at home, added that Lauren had her whole life in front of her and that had now been taken away.
A post-mortem found that Smith died from a sudden heart attack after a blood clot in her lung. An inquest will take place at the Black Country Coroners’ Court on November 1.
Lauren had contacted 111 for advice and paramedics arrived at her home and performed brief assessments.
The Smith’s lawyers said they were concerned West Midlands Ambulance Service paramedics misinterpreted Lauren’s electrocardiogram (ECG) readings due to a lack of training and told her she was fine instead of taking her to hospital.
The problem lies with senior managers who cut corners and until they’re held to account nothing will change.
I just can’t imagine what this poor family must be going through – it’s such a tragedy that should have never occurred, and it does concern me that trainee paramedics now spend a substantial amount of time doing theoretical training and that may not be balanced out by practical learning from skilled paramedics in the field.
My heart goes out to the family, but I also know how dismissive the ambulance service can be towards people they’re called out to, and I have also personally felt their dismissive judgements.
I suffer from Crohn’s Disease and I know that when I’m really bad and have to call for an ambulance I know that I need to take my hospital bag with me, which is always packed and ready, but this particular day I called the ambulance service, and I must confess they came extremely quickly but were extremely dismissive of me and asked me why I had a hospital bag, so I attempted to explain before the other one asked if I was going on holiday and laughed.
There is very little understanding when it comes to the people they’re called out to see, especially with their outdated guidelines on training or just lack of understanding of how people deal with pain differently, and it’s like they don’t believe you unless you’re rolling around on the floor screaming.
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