Emergency response to heart attack: Independent report by the Healthcare Safety Investigation Branch

Investigation was started after a patient notified agency of a delay in an ambulance attending him after suffering a heart attack. Three safety recommendations have been made to NHSE/I and to Association of Ambulance Chief Executives.

SPS commentary:

HSIB recommends that NHS England and NHS Improvement revise the Ambulance Clinical Quality Indicator: Clinical Outcomes for ST-elevation myocardial infarction to reflect each element of the call to balloon response and review this indicator alongside the critical time standards workstream. Furthermore, they should support the Joint Ambulance Improvement Programme to respond to emerging risks and research highlighting factors impacting on effective ambulance response. The Association of Ambulance Chief Executives, working with the College of Paramedics and cardiology specialists, have been asked to produce a position statement on the use of pre-hospital thrombolysis by paramedics.

Healthcare Safety Investigation Branch