North East ambulance staff lacked critical medicines, CQC finds

Ambulance crews in the North East frequently responded to emergencies without access to life-saving drugs, a damning inspection report has found.

The study of North East Ambulance Service NHS Trust (NEAS) concluded patients were potentially put at risk by the poor management of medicines.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) found a deterioration of services and rated NEAS's urgent care as "inadequate".

In response, NEAS said it had faced a year of "unprecedented pressures".

The damaging assessment follows the launch of a full independent NHS review into numerous "tragic failings" involving patients.

Announcing the review, the then health secretary Sajid Javid said he was "deeply concerned" about claims NEAS had covered up mistakes.

Whistleblowers have told Newsnight multiple deaths were not investigated properly because information was not always provided to coroners and families.

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Source: BBC News, 1 February 2023