Clive Gould
16 Dec 2013 · Coroner Nicholas Graham · Oxfordshire
The coroner's concerns
1. ambulance diverted due to priority green status
“The original call made by I was atlocated a priority green status which meant that should a higher priority call be received (a red status call) then an ambulance would be diverted, which is what happened on two occasions”
2. inadequate priority allocation for calls
“| recommend that SCAS review how they allocate priority to calls such as this one | and identify whether any improvements to the allocation of priority should be given.”
3. systemic lack of resilience to staff absence
“In evidence before the inquest SCAS indicated that there was little resilience in the system to tolerate absence or sudden sickness of personnel at certain times”
4. insufficient caller communication about delays
“My recommendation is that SCAS review what information they give callers and to consider whether communication in relation to estimated times of arrival should be notified to callers or the possibility of delays”
Responses
2013-0357-Response-by-South-Central-Ambulance-Service.pdf ↗· South Central Ambulance Service NHS Trust
Stated action · end of autumn 2014
“SCAS have recognised that AMPDS is a dispatch tool as opposed to a clinical decision software support tool. SCAS are currently transitioning, with full support from our Commissioners, from the AMPDS system to a more clinically focused assessment system called NHS Pathways which is also fully licensed by the Department of Health. The benefits of this change will be to quickly identify patients in a life threatening situation and dispatch accordingly for those patients who are more time critical”