Margaret McKay, 72, collapsed and died at home in Greenock in 2006 but her family was never told that two paramedics were later struck off for the way they treated her.

Mrs McKay’s death is one of at least five being investigated by the authorities after Sky News uncovered secrecy by health watchdog the Health Professions Council (HPC) and some ambulance services which kept details of misconduct from the families of dead patients.

via Sky News.

Daniel Cripps, 22, became “completely out of it” after drinking 14 shots of vodka at a house party in Newport.

Paramedics were called but left him to sleep if off. He became ill and died.

“With the benefit of hindsight he should have been transferred to hospital,” said the Gwent coroner, recording a narrative verdict. His family plan legal action.

After the inquest, Mr Cripps’ father Michael said he was planning legal action against the Wales Ambulance Service.

via BBC News.

Philip Hillier, 53, was found guilty of misconduct by a Health Professions Council panel (HPC).

They ruled he had shown no remorse over the treatment of a woman he believed was faking injury in Cardiff in May 2010. His actions were said to pose a potential risk to patients as well a undermining the reputation of the Welsh Ambulance Service.

The panel heard Mr Hillier had been accused of an “unprovoked assault” on the 20-year-old woman during a call-out in Cardiff city centre.

He had found the woman apparently unconscious with back injuries at her home, but believed she was faking it. The tribunal reportedly heard he asked her why she was “being a silly b****”.

via The Press Association

No inquest was held into her death, but now the Doncaster Coroner, Nicola Mundy, has decided there should be one.

A preliminary hearing will be held in February when a date will be fixed for the full inquest later in 2012.

At the time of her daughter’s death, Mrs Easen blamed herself for not being able to perform emergency first aid during the severe asthma attack she suffered at home in April 2008.

But what she did not know at the time was that paramedic James McKenna declared her dead instead of continuing resuscitation and getting her to hospital for specialist treatment that may have saved her life.

via Mum to hear why her daughter died – News – The Star.

The Doncaster Coroner will hold the inquiry later this year into the death of Izabelle Easen, who was poorly treated by a paramedic employed by the Yorkshire Ambulance Service in 2008.

James McKenna declared her dead at the scene after she suffered an asthma attack at her home, instead of continuing resuscitation and getting her to hospital for treatment that might have saved her life.

Izabelle’s mother: ‘morally wrong’ that details were hidden

It follows the opening of an inquest in Northumberland last year into the death of Grahame Giles, 61, who died in 2008 after a paramedic from the North East Ambulance Service refused to give him a potentially life-saving drug.

Sky’s investigation uncovered a culture of secrecy in which the regulator of paramedics, the Health Professions Council (HPC), and some ambulance services have kept details of misconduct from the families of dead patients.

via Sky News.

The North East Ambulance Trust was accused of criminal behaviour by a widow for “hiding” evidence that her husband might still be alive if he had been properly treated in an ambulance.

The Department of Health denounced the secrecy as “completely unacceptable” and insisted that NHS trusts must apologise to those affected.

Sky News discovered that relatives of patients who die are not routinely informed about disciplinary procedures by ambulance trusts or the paramedics’ regulator, the Health Professions Council (HPC).

via Sky News.

The Scottish Ambulance Service (SAS) said the emergency in Tomintoul was instead answered by a crew based 21 minutes away in Grantown-on-Spey.

An air ambulance was also scrambled, but 33-year-old Mandy Mathieson died.

The technician has been suspended while an investigation is carried out.
More at BBC News (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-11673344)

An inquest into the death of Artur Palchimowicz heard the 22-year-old had little chance of recovering from the injuries he sustained in the crash, but the coroner at his inquest said the blunder by ambulance staff was “deeply concerning”.

The inquest heard how paramedics had covered Mr Palchimowicz’s body with a tarpaulin after the crash on the A140 between Long Stratton and Norwich just days before Christmas last December.

It was only when a policeman lifted the covering that he realised Mr Palchimowicz was still breathing.

The inquest heard paramedics had failed to do an electro-cardiogram (ECG) check on the victim, which is standard procedure before pronouncing somebody dead.

It was only when a senior paramedic arrived on the scene that the test was carried out, and then the victim was treated and taken to hospital, where he died nearly three hours later.

via Evening News 24.

Graham Spires, who has 25 years’ experience, was given a two-year caution order after a panel found his fitness to practice had been impaired by reason of misconduct.

Read full article: EDP24.

William Munro, from Glasgow, was working in the city’s Southside area on April 24 in 2006 when he is alleged to have refused to answer the 999 emergencies.

The emergency despatch team were unaware Mr Munro was left working alone and tried to send him on two emergency calls which usually require a two-man paramedic team.

Read full article: Deadline Press & Picture Agency.