First aiders working in Manchester Arena ‘did not have right qualifications’

MANY of the first aiders working on the night of the Manchester Arena bombing did not have the appropriate qualifications, a public inquiry has heard.

A number rushed to the City Room foyer in the minutes after suicide bomber Salman Abedi detonated his device at the end of an Ariana Grande concert, killing 22 people and injuring hundreds of others.

The inquiry into the attack on May 22, 2017, has previously heard only three North West Ambulance Service paramedics ever entered the City Room and firefighters did not attend until two hours later.

Private company Emergency Training UK (ETUK) carried out medical services at the time for Arena operator SMG, which requested two emergency medical technicians – one with major incident training – and 12 first aiders for the concert.

Arena general manager James Allen told the inquiry he thought ETUK did a “fantastic job on the night given the circumstances”, in the assumption that support would come “within 15 to 20 minutes”.

Names of those on duty were provided but not the details of their level of training, qualifications and experience, as required in pre-event checks, he said.

Paul Greaney QC, counsel to the inquiry, asked: “Given what you know now, do you have any concerns about the level of training and qualifications for any of those who worked for ETUK that night?”

Mr Allen replied: “I believe that they had a really good mix of skills.

“Having heard some of the evidence I am concerned that some of them weren’t to the level that we had prescribed in the contract we had offered to them.”

Mr Greaney said: “If the evidence reveals that some of those who were working for ETUK on May 22 did not have an appropriate level of qualification to do what was required of them, then the fact that the provision was not operated would seem to be very unfortunate, do you agree?”

“Yes,” said Mr Allen.

Mr Greaney said he believed the evidence would reveal “many of those first aiders did not have the qualifications they ought to have”.

The inquiry heard SMG’S medical services contract was up for tender in 2007 but ETUK retained it despite a number of previous concerns including “slow payments” to employees.

The inquiry continues.