A television producer has received an undisclosed settlement from the NHS after paramedics' errors left her permanently disabled. Meg Fozzard, now 33, suffered a brain injury following a cardiac arrest in April 2019, when ambulance crews failed to operate a defibrillator correctly, delaying a life-saving shock by eight minutes.
Ms Fozzard collapsed at her home in Walworth, south London, struggling to breathe and fitting. Her partner, Xander Font Freide, called 999 and performed CPR as instructed. However, when paramedics arrived, they initially refused to accept she was in cardiac arrest, despite warnings from the call handler. They connected monitoring leads instead of defibrillation pads, and then pressed the wrong button on the LifePak device, further delaying the shock.
The London Ambulance Service NHS Trust has acknowledged an eight-minute delay before Ms Fozzard received an electric shock. As a result, she sustained a brain injury from oxygen deprivation, leaving her with speech difficulties, fatigue, and reliance on a wheelchair. She now requires therapy and has resumed part-time work as a freelance producer focusing on disability rights.
Ms Fozzard said: 'It's almost impossible to find the words to describe the physical and emotional impact... I know I've a long way to go but I finally feel like I'm getting back to being the person I was before.' Her partner described the scene as 'confused and chaotic'. Leena Savjani, the solicitor representing Ms Fozzard, stated that the settlement will help provide necessary support, but stressed the importance of improving patient safety.
