A mother of five died from a heart attack after waiting eighty minutes for an ambulance, leaving her husband to perform CPR alone at home. Michelle Roberts, 39, was at home in October 2024 when she suddenly developed a heartburn sensation and a feeling in her throat.
After calling her husband, Ben Roberts, 43, Michelle then called 111 to explain her symptoms. Ben arrived home while Michelle was still on the phone to 111, and she was told at the end of the call that an ambulance would be sent out. Ben prepared the children's dinner and went to check on Michelle a short while later, finding her "slumped and not breathing" on the bed, and immediately began CPR.
CPR for nearly an hour
As he tried to save his wife, he claims he called 999 to ask when the ambulance would arrive, but says they couldn't give him a time. He continued CPR for nearly an hour whilst blood began to "pour out of her eyes, ears and mouth" as his children watched in horror.
Eventually, an ambulance arrived, but it was too late, and Michelle was pronounced dead. The ICB wrote a letter to Ben after discovering that there were "handover delays" between 111 and 999. The ICB went on to say that "despite its best efforts to gain the outcome of their review, the Luton and Dunstable Hospital did not wish to make comment in this outcome letter".
Family's loss and financial struggle
Ben, a stay-at-home dad from Bedfordshire, said: "My life has gone downhill since then - I lost my wife. I lost my £96,000-a-year job. I went back to work after two months, and social services got involved and they told me I had to quit my job as I wouldn't be able to care for my kids."
"I'm on universal credit now. I'm on my own with very little help. I'm left with five children and social services won't leave me alone even though I do my best. With the little money I do get I'm using food banks to just about get enough food in the house. I'm now not fit to work basically. I want to work, but I don't think I can."
Ben said after the call to 111 he and Michelle didn't know how serious it was. He said: "We both didn't know the seriousness of it at that point. She told me to get a bag ready for her and she asked me to go and feed the kids as she hadn't been able to get out of bed. As I left the room, the last thing she said to me was 'Ben, I'm scared.'"
Legal action and ambulance service response
Ben continued the CPR until the emergency services arrived, whilst his children walked into the room. He said: "They're crying and they know what's going on now. I did CPR for nearly an hour and finally a first responder turned up and he casually walked in - there was no urgency. He took over and within about two or three minutes, four ambulances turned up, seven police officers, it was jam packed."
"But it was far too late - it was nearly two hours. I took my children to the neighbours. I sat in the kitchen for another 30 minutes and then the paramedics came downstairs and said there's been a catastrophic incident and that she'd passed away." The police then held him downstairs for four hours to rule out foul play, and he had to give a statement six times.
Ben has now appointed a solicitor to begin a claim against the NHS for the delays. He said: "The letter from the ICB said it was classed as a certain type of a response, and it should've been 28 minutes. When the ICB went to find out why, the hospital refused to comment or allow them access to the computer. I've lost my wife, lost my job, been diagnosed with PTSD, and if they were here in 20 minutes, she could have survived."
An East of England Ambulance Service spokesperson said: "Our thoughts remain with Mr Roberts and his family following the death of his wife, Michelle, in October 2024. We recognise that our response on that day fell below the standards patients and their families have a right to expect, and we have apologised to Mr Roberts for this."
"Following a full review by our patient safety team, we have carefully considered the circumstances surrounding this incident and the lessons that can be learned. At the time of the 999 call, the ambulance service was facing significant operational pressures, including delays in transferring patients at local hospitals. However, we recognise the impact that our delayed response had on Mr Roberts and his family. We remain committed to learning from incidents such as this and to improving the care we provide. Since October 2024, we have continued to work with hospital partners to reduce handover delays and improved response times to the most serious emergencies."
