Decorated paramedic ‘made no efforts’ to save elderly woman in Ilford care home

Wednesday, June 13, 2012
5:44 PM

A decorated paramedic made no efforts to save a 93-year-old woman who stopped breathing in an Ilford care home on Christmas morning, a hearing has heard.

Alan Clark MBE allegedly decided the woman, who has not been named, was dead without making efforts to revive her or use a defibrillator to restart her heart.

Mr Clark and two colleagues from Whipps Cross ambulance station were called out to Birchwood Care Home in Clayhall Avenue, Clayhall, on Christmas Day 2010 to a patient with breathing difficulties.

The Health Professions Council (HPC) has heard that Mr Clark told the woman’s daughter her mother had died soon after arriving at the scene, and ignored guidelines to make all efforts to save her.

Mr Clark had arrived first at the scene and assessed the woman, who had been living at the home for six weeks.

But Elizabeth Taheri, for the HPC, said his “surprising” efforts fell well short of acceptable standards.

She said: “This is not a question of whether the patient would have survived or not, it is a question of guidelines, clearly stated, that CPR ought to have been commenced.

“Instead, resuscitation was being withheld apparently by the registrant, who was applying his own guidelines. “The registrant sought guidance far too late, by which time the clinical support desk could really only support the decisions he had made.”

Corinne Zeiderman, a student paramedic, who assisted at the scene, said Mr Clark ignored her efforts to help and wasted precious time that could have been used to save the woman.

The hearing heard that Mr Clark called the London Ambulance Service 20 minutes after arriving at the home and admitted on the call that no efforts had been made to revive the woman.

Mr Clark denies all the allegations against him and is at the hearing to defend his position.

He argues he made an assessment on arrival and acted appropriately given that the patient was not breathing and showing very little responsiveness.

The hearing continues.