Woman died after 999 delay

A STUDENT died from a ruptured spleen after waiting 90 minutes for an ambulance due to control room failings.

As Kathryn Richmond, 20, of Poole, Dorset, lay in agony, six of the 13 ambulances for her area were off road as crews were on meal breaks, an inquest heard.

Her call was twice downgraded, so ambulances that were on their way were diverted. A lack of ambulances made it hard to meet response targets, so staff thought twice about making calls “red”.

Coroner Rachael Griffin gave a narrative verdict and is to ask Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt to ensure breaks are for ambulance crews are staggered.