O2 Academy Brixton crush: Claims of not enough medical cover

Only half the recommended number of medical staff were on duty at the O2 Brixton Academy on the night of a crush at the south-west London venue.

Industry guidelines suggest there should have been medical cover of at least 10 people, including a paramedic and a nurse, but no paramedics or nurses were present.

Rebecca Ikumelo, 33, and security guard Gaby Hutchinson, 23, died in hospital following the crowd surge on 15 December 2022 at the concert.

The medical provider, Collingwood Services Ltd, said it was "fully confident" its team had "responded speedily, efficiently and with best practice".

Two whistleblowers who regularly work for Collingwood Services Ltd at Brixton told BBC Radio 4's File on 4 programme that medical cover at the south London gig had been "inadequate".

Neither of them was there when the crush happened, but one said he had spoken to colleagues who were.

"[They] had two student paramedics, so they're basically unqualified," said one whistleblower. "They have to be supervised by a paramedic, not by anybody of a lower grade. They didn't have appropriate supervision."

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Source: BBC News, 23 February 2023