Ambulance service apologises to families for error cover-ups

North East Ambulance Service (NEAS) has unreservedly apologised to families following a review into claims it covered up mistakes by paramedics and withheld evidence from coroners.

Two patient deaths in 2018 and 2019 were raised by a whistleblower last year.

Helen Ray, chief executive of the trust, said she was sorry “for any distressed caused to the families” by past mistakes.

Among the review findings were inaccuracies of information provided to the coroner, employees who were “fearful of speaking up” and “poor behaviour by senior staff”.

The study examined four of the five cases which were highlighted by the whistleblower, and found that two bereaved families were left in the dark about investigations into the response of paramedics called to help their loved ones.

The review found that there was a “trend” for NEAS to provide coroners with “confusing or conflated” information instead of the original material and there was “no independent  communications with families” which would have “lessened the trauma”.

It also found opportunities for learning were missed, with established processes not being followed by NEAS, noting “leadership disfunction” and “antagonism” between leadership teams.  Staff were “fearful of speaking up” and those who did raise concerns were left “anxious, frustrated and stressed”.

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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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