A private call handling firm operating the NHS 111 service has admitted it was at fault for failing to send an ambulance to a baby who later died. Ben Condon, born premature, died aged two months at Bristol Children's Hospital in April 2015 after developing a respiratory illness.
An inquest heard that when Ben developed a cold at home in Weston-super-Mare, his father, former Olympic sprinter Allyn Condon, called the 111 service run by Care UK at about 6pm on 10 April. The call handler referred Ben for an out-of-hours GP call-back within two hours rather than sending an ambulance.
Assistant coroner Robert Sowersby said Care UK admitted fault for not sending an ambulance after the call. The handler incorrectly recorded answers to questions about whether Ben was conscious and alert, and whether he was pale, limp and unresponsive. A correct response to any of these questions would have led to an emergency ambulance dispatch.
The coroner noted that cognitive bias was a contributory factor, as the handler was mindful of external pressures regarding ambulance call-outs. By 7.45pm, when the family had not received a GP call, they took Ben to Weston General Hospital. He died on 17 April.
University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust admitted that a failure to give Ben timely antibiotics contributed to his death. A previous inquest ruling was quashed by the High Court, leading to the fresh inquest.
