A coroner has called for changes to asthma assessment procedures after a boy died following a 999 call handler's error. Clayton Barker, eight, died from an asthma attack at his grandmother's home in Oldham in March 2013.
The inquest heard that the call handler mistakenly recorded that Clayton could speak between breaths, downgrading the call from red to green. This delayed the ambulance response, which arrived 23 minutes after the call, eight minutes after the boy collapsed.
Coroner Simon Nelson ruled that Clayton's chances of survival would have been 'enhanced' if paramedics had arrived earlier. He said the first 999 call 'was not processed in line with best practice'.
North West Ambulance Service (NWAS) admitted an 'individual error' and said it had reviewed its processes. The family's solicitor said they would sue NWAS.
