You should have saved heart girl, paramedic told
A FIVE-year-old girl died after a paramedic’s “gross failure” to give her basic medical attention, a coroner ruled yesterday.
Lilly-May Page-Bowden lost her life after medic Shannon Jacobs decided not to use a defibrillator to shock her heart back to life.
An inquest was told that the girl collapsed in a playground as she ran towards her mother and grandmother who had arrived to collect her from school.
School nurses were immediately on hand to give her CPR. But the paramedic who arrived on the scene failed to restart Lilly-May’s heart.
Coroner Peter Bedford dismissed Ms Jacobs’ claims that she was taught not to shock children when they were close to flat-lining.
The inquest at Reading Coroner’s Court heard she should have used the defibrillator immediately.
But records showed the equipment was not even turned on when she carried Lilly-May to the ambulance at Willow Bank Infant School, in Woodley, Berkshire, in May 2014.
By the time an air ambulance doctor had arrived, the crucial 15 minutes she had to restart LillyMay’s heart had elapsed.
After her death it was established Lilly-May had suffered from a genetic mutation which caused Sudden Arrhythmic Death Syndrome.
Mr Bedford, who recorded that she died of natural causes contributed to by neglect, said: “Neglect in this context means a gross failure to provide, in Lilly-May’s case, basic medical attention to somebody in a dependant position.
“A gross failure not to apply the defibrillator shock is in my view made out. Shocking Lilly-May would have saved her life.”
The youngster’s mother Claire Page had campaigned for her daughter’s death to be investigated by a coroner and has called for defibrillators to be available in all schools in the area.
A spokesman for the family said: “We know that had Lilly-May been with a defibrillator within 15 minutes she would have survived and would still be with us.
“We are pleased this is now over. Lilly-May died far too early.”
Deirdre Thompson, of South Central Ambulance Service, said: “We accept the findings of the coroner and offer our sincere apologies to Lilly-May’s family.”