An inquest has heard that a 999 call from a mother whose three-week-old son had stopped breathing went unanswered because of a lack of staff on duty. Lauren Braisby, 17, from Polegate, East Sussex, was put on hold while the operator twice tried to contact South East Coast Ambulance Service.
Her son Jenson died as a result of sudden infant death syndrome, East Sussex Coroner's Court was told. Ms Braisby had woken at about 04:00 BST on 25 August 2017 to feed her identical twins Alfie and Jenson. The operator tried to connect the call but was put on hold, so tried a back-up line for urgent incidents when the control room is busy – but this also went unanswered.
Ms Braisby started to drive Jenson to hospital but managed to flag down a passing ambulance en route. Paramedic James Punchard told the inquest Jenson was “lifeless and not breathing”. The team began life support, but he was pronounced dead shortly afterwards in hospital.
A serious incident report concluded there were not enough staff on duty in the control room. Mark Bailey, operations unit manager, told the court staffing was a “serious issue”, but a recruitment drive was under way. Coroner Alan Craze said he was “satisfied” the trust was making progress.
The inquest was told Ms Braisby’s other son, Alfie, was “seriously ill” and the parents were unable to attend. A South East Coast Ambulance Service spokesman said: “Our thoughts are with the family at this difficult time and we are very sorry for the service they received in such tragic circumstances.”
