A television producer has been left with permanent disabilities after paramedics failed to operate a defibrillator correctly during a cardiac arrest. Meg Fozzard, now 33, was just 26 when she collapsed at her home in Walworth, south London, in April 2019.
Her partner, Xander Font Freide, called 999 and was instructed to perform CPR. However, when ambulance crews arrived, they struggled to locate the flat and initially refused to accept that Ms Fozzard was suffering a cardiac arrest, despite being warned by the emergency call handler.
A defibrillator indicated a dangerous heart rhythm requiring an immediate shock, but paramedics had connected monitoring leads instead of defibrillation pads, so the device did not alert them. They then pressed the wrong button on the machine, further delaying the shock by four minutes. London Ambulance Service NHS Trust has acknowledged an eight-minute delay before Ms Fozzard received the electric shock.
Ms Fozzard sustained a brain injury from oxygen deprivation and now struggles with speech, fatigue, and uses a wheelchair. She has received an undisclosed settlement from the ambulance service, which admitted breaches in its duty of care. She said: 'It's almost impossible to find the words to describe the physical and emotional impact... I really struggled with that.'
Thanks to compensation, Ms Fozzard has accessed speech therapy, physiotherapy, and occupational therapy. She has resumed part-time work as a freelance producer specialising in disability rights and has taken up aerial sports and swimming. She added: 'I'll always be upset at the care I received... so it's vital action is taken to improve patient safety for others.'
Her lawyer, Leena Savjani of Irwin Mitchell, said the last few years had been 'incredibly difficult' for Ms Fozzard and her loved ones.
