Child death following ambulance delay

Posted: October 24, 2014

Posted in: Medical Negligence Wrongful & Accidental Death 

After a three-year-old girl died of respiratory problems following a house fire, her family have demanded answers as to why an ambulance did not arrive sooner. The fire broke out in the family’s home in Bryn Gorwel in Carmarthen on the 15th of July. 3-year-old Angel Smith’s parents both survived the accident, after Mrs Smith was rescued with her daughter by a firefighter and Mr Smith jumped from a window. It was heard that several people attempted to resuscitate Angel before an ambulance came over half an hour later.

MP for Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire, Mr Hart, said that he is demanding answers on behalf of the family for the “totally unacceptable” wait they had to endure for an ambulance, which resulted in the death of Angel Smith.  The accident happened on the first anniversary of Angel’s brother Jake’s cot death.

“Fulsome” investigation carried out

An ambulance eventually arrived half an hour after being contacted, but Angel had already been rushed to Glangwili Hospital in Carmarthen by police officers.  She was later transferred to the University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff where she died. Mr Hart obtained figures from the Dyfed-Powys Police following the accident, which showed that within five months (from April to August), the police had been forced to take casualties to hospital on 68 occasions as a result of ambulance delays.

The former chief executive of the Welsh Ambulance Service NHS Trust, Elwyn Price-Morris, said that a “fulsome” investigation had been carried out.  Tracy Myhill has since taken over her position and said that new targets had been put in place to fix the “complex system”.

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