The Report of the Independent Review in to alleged failures of patient safety and governance at the North East Ambulance Service (3 July 2023)

Summary

NHS England commissioned a limited scope independent review into patient safety concerns and governance processes related to the North East Ambulance Service. Chaired by Dame Marianne Griffiths DBE, the review considered the facts surrounding a number of individual cases, reviewed the processes surrounding coronial investigations and reviewed the seven previous investigations and reviews undertaken by the ambulance service to determine if they were sufficient to fully understand and resolve issues.

Content

On 22 May 2022, media coverage in the Sunday Times alleged that the North East Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (NEAS) was covering up evidence in relation to patient deaths and withholding key evidence from Her Majesty’s Coroners (HMC) linked to service failures.

The news article made reference to seven incidents and the names of five individuals were included. The report said that families were not always told the full facts of the circumstances surrounding the death of their relatives. In addition, the whistle-blower who reported these concerns to the Sunday Times also alleged that he had raised concerns about patient safety in NEAS a number of times and that he was bullied and victimised as a result of his actions. Some of the concerns raised by the whistle-blower were known in NEAS and the wider NHS system particularly in relation to some specific complaints from families and the robustness of coronial processes and reporting. The alleged incidents took place between December 2018 to December 2019