Source: Health and Disability Commissioner
Deputy Health and Disability Commissioner Dr Vanessa Caldwell has found an ambulance call handler breached the Code of Health and Disability Services Consumers’ Rights (the Code).
An ambulance call handler took a call from a mother whose teenage daughter was having an asthma attack. The call handler incorrectly interpreted and entered critical details about the teen’s breathing into the software that determines triage categorisation. This meant the seriousness of the teenager’s condition was not fully appreciated and affected the subsequent dispatch of an ambulance to her location.
Just under twenty minutes later, when the teenager’s condition had deteriorated further, the family made a second call to 111 and an ambulance was dispatched immediately. However, by the time they arrived, the teenager was unresponsive and not breathing and was, tragically, declared deceased shortly afterwards.
Dr Caldwell found the call handler breached Right 4 of the Code, for not providing services of an appropriate professional standard.
Dr Caldwell said she considered that the systems and protocols used by the ambulance service are a reasonable equivalent of “national standards” for call-handlers.
“Although the call-handler asked the correct questions, according to the software, he failed to correctly record and classify two questions regarding the teen’s breathing and failed to clarify the answers with the teen’s mother,” said Dr Caldwell.
Dr Caldwell made an adverse comment about one of the ambulance dispatchers from the second ambulance service involved in this case, whose “error in judgement” resulted in the nearest ambulance not being dispatched immediately.
She also made an adverse comment regarding the ambulance staffing levels and called for them to ensure that cover was adequate to maintain effective communication and not negatively impact dispatching decisions when staff were handing over for meal breaks.
Since the events, the ambulance services and staff involved have made several changes, outlined in the report. Dr Caldwell made further recommendations, for the ambulance service and the call handler and dispatcher concerned.
