17 November 2023 , 18:56
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Parents have shared their heartbreak after their daughter was found dead at her home with her toddler clinging to her chest, saying "Mummy won't wake up".
Lauren Page Smith, 29, suffered a heart attack but was, hours before, given the all-clear by paramedics who were called to the address after the mum reported vomiting and a sore throat on a 111 call. When West Midlands Ambulance Service (WMAS) paramedics arrived, they were told Lauren was also suffering from chest pains – but reported no concerns after carrying out an electrocardiogram (ECG) test to check Lauren's heart rhythm and electrical activity.
Yet the mum had a heart attack following a blood clot in the lung hours later. Now Lauren's parents Emma and Geoffrey Carrington have accused the emergency services of "letting her die".
Lauren, pictured with her daughter, suffered a sudden heart attack at home in Wolverhampton (BPM MEDIA)A coroner ruled on November 1 that Lauren died after "gross failures" in their care when WMAS crews failed to spot that there was a "clear sign" of a cardiac event in progress. But they did not rule there was "neglect".
Speaking from her home in Wolverhampton, West Midlands, Emma, 49, said she had to perform CPR on her daughter after finding her stricken on the bathroom floor. Emma and her husband want the two paramedics involved in the incident to be sacked.
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"I blame them two. I want their jobs. I blame them. Nothing's going to bring Lauren back but I don't want this happening to anybody ever again," Ms Carrington said. Mr Carrington, 56, said he and his wife got "no comfort" from their daughter's inquest two weeks ago, adding: "It just rubber-stamped what we already thought, that they basically let her die."
Ambulance technician Jodie Hardwick and her senior colleague and paramedic Laura Smith were called to Lauren's address in Wolverhampton January 6, the inquest was told. The ECG was carried out but no concerns were reported. A post-mortem examination found Lauren, who was an administrator, later had the sudden heart attack.
Speaking to MailOnline, Ms Carrington added: "I'd like them (the paramedics) to admit that they failed her... They've apologised in public but personally we've never had an apology... Lauren asked if she was having a heart attack and the technician said 'no you're not'."
WMAS say they have apologised at least twice in person to the family. They told the publication that the two ambulance workers are not currently working and will have to undergo retraining before returning. Both will be supervised to ensure their understanding of the issues identified has been addressed, it is reported.
Jo Lees, area coroner for the Black Country, told the inquest the fact paramedics reported no concerns on the ECG was likely to have affected Lauren's decision not to attend hospital and there had been "gross failures" in her care.
However, Ms Lees also ruled that there was not enough evidence to suggest she would have survived had the ECG results been interpreted correctly. The coroner, sitting at a court in Oldbury, West Midlands, said she was unable to reach a finding of neglect but, delivering a narrative conclusion, noted Lauren's abnormal ECG reading was incorrectly read. Ms Lees said the interpretation of ECG tests was a fundamental part of the job for paramedics but there were three abnormal indicators which had been missed.
A West Midlands Ambulance Service spokesman said: "We would like to apologise to the family of Lauren Smith after what must have been an extremely difficult period. The Trust carried out a full investigation into what happened to see what learning could be taken from such a tragic case. We are determined to do everything possible to try and stop something like this ever happening again.
"The review made a number of recommendations which have been implemented, including providing additional learning to our clinicians about recognising acute coronary syndrome (ACS), particularly in women.
"Understanding ECGs is part of paramedic training. In recent years, staff have had additional education on recognising Acute Coronary Syndrome as part of their mandatory updates; there is also e-learning available to all staff and the matter has been covered in clinical publications sent to all clinicians on a number of occasions. We note the Preventing Future Deaths order that the Coroner has issued and will respond to it fully within the time frame once it is received."