Anger as paramedic returns to old role

Published on Friday 22 April 2011 19:38

AN ambulance worker who was suspended after she did not respond to a 999 call to help a baby in cardiac arrest is back at work in the service's control room, it emerged today.

Charlene Russell, a trainee paramedic from Linlithgow, refused the call to go to the aid of 15-week-old Kai Curran in January because her colleague had not shown up for his shift, leaving her to work alone. The baby, who had swine flu, later died.

Ms Russell was immediately suspended during an investigation and was told this week that she could not return to her post as a paramedic, but could return to her former role in the ambulance control room instead.

Ambulance insiders said many staff were not happy with the decision to move Ms Russell, 28, to administrative duties following the incident, which happened in the Forth Valley on January 3.

A source said: "Staff are not happy at all how it's happened. Normally, when serious incidents happen, people are sacked. Charlene was requested to attend this incident and she refused on the grounds that she was a trainee. She declined immediately.

"Now she's been sacked from the training programme and given her job back within the control room."

A Scottish Ambulance Service (SAS) spokesman confirmed that a member of staff had been removed from frontline duties.

He said: "Following internal review and disciplinary process, a member of staff has been removed from frontline duties and moved back to their previous role.

"The service responded to this incident in line with its performance standards - two ambulances were on scene within approximately seven minutes after the call was received by our Emergency Medical Dispatch Centre in Edinburgh.

"Our deepest sympathies go out to the family. Our detailed internal review is nearing completion and we will now be contacting the family to give them a full explanation of the circumstances around this case."

An investigation into other errors made during the same call is ongoing by the SAS.

Phone company TalkTalk is facing action for failing to provide the correct information to the control room. Ofcom has ordered the company to fix errors - which meant the 999 operator could only find an address in England - by May 10.

Two local ambulance crews went to the incident, the first arriving within about seven minutes from the time the call was passed to the SAS Emergency Medical Dispatch Centre in Edinburgh.

The SAS spokesman said: "We are pleased that Ofcom has recommended that TalkTalk take action to review its systems and avoid a repeat of the problem that resulted in a delay to the call being passed to us."

Kai was being looked after by his grandmother, Jennifer Whiteside, at her home in Carronside last January when he developed breathing difficulties.

He was taken to Stirling Royal Infirmary but could not be saved.

Kai's mother, Laura Whiteside, said: "Nothing will bring Kai back but hopefully this will never happen to another family."

Ms Russell could not be contacted for comment.