A coroner has found that delays in getting an ambulance to a man suffering a medical emergency at his supported living accommodation in Langley Moor contributed to his death.
Andrew Watson, 32, died at Cecil Court in October 2019 after suffering respiratory failure caused by an airway obstruction from quinsy, a rare complication of tonsillitis. The inquest concluded that the delay in reaching him meant a potentially survivable emergency became fatal.
What happened at Cecil Court
Andrew first called 999 at 5.38pm on 10 October 2019. He made a further emergency call shortly before 6.30pm, when he described symptoms that enabled an independent expert witness to assess the progression of his condition.
The witness told the coroner that Andrew’s condition did not become critically life-threatening until 6.35pm. Had he reached hospital before then, an emergency procedure could have been carried out and would likely have saved his life.
However, an ambulance arrived at Cecil Court at 6.45pm. The inquest report said that by that point Andrew’s condition had “ceased to be survivable”. The response came more than an hour after his first 999 call, even though the case had been prioritised as category 2, which carries an 18-minute target response time.
Coroner’s finding and ambulance service response
The coroner recorded the cause of death as “natural death to which the delayed arrival of an ambulance contributed”. In the inquest report, the coroner wrote: “Had ambulances been more readily available, Andrew probably would have survived. In effect, service delays contributed to his death.”
North East Ambulance Service said it had taken steps since 2019 to reduce delays in ambulance responses. Those measures included substantial investment in more paramedics and more ambulances. The service said its performance was now stronger and that it was reaching people faster.
Karen O’Brien, the service’s deputy chief executive, apologised to Andrew’s family following the inquest. She said NEAS “did not respond as quickly as we should have” and acknowledged that the delay likely contributed to his death.
Family hopes lessons will help others
Andrew’s mother, Liz Watson, said she hoped the lessons identified by the inquest, together with the changes described by the ambulance service, would help people facing medical emergencies receive care in time.
She said Andrew was 32 and had “his whole life ahead of him”, describing him as funny, intelligent, kind and full of life. His family said he brought warmth, laughter and energy to those around him and was missed every day.
The family welcomed the inquest’s examination of what happened and the acknowledgement from NEAS that the delay contributed to Andrew’s death. Liz Watson also acknowledged the apology, which came after years of unanswered questions and a fight to have the inquest reopened.