On 18th August 2015, a 60-year-old man collapsed in the changing rooms after completing a cycling session at the Olympic Velodrome. The velodrome staff logged a 999 call at 5.19pm reporting a man requiring assistance due to chest pains. The staff went on to administer first aid and also began resuscitation whilst waiting for the paramedics to arrive.
Despite the London Ambulance Service despatching two emergency ambulances and an advanced paramedic urgent response vehicle it took them 27 minutes to finally reach the site. The NHS target for any response vehicle to arrive at a scene is 8 minutes, yet all three vehicles took more than three times the target time to arrive.
The Olympic Velodrome was host to the 2012 London Olympics, therefore a venue one would expect emergency vehicles to have good knowledge of. In accordance with a report made by the London Ambulance Service, the problem was due to the satellite navigation system in all of the vehicles not being updated with roads that have been built in the area since the London 2012 games. The report went onto explain that the access to the Olympic Park specifically the velodrome is difficult particularly for crews that may not be au fait with the area.
Although the London Ambulance Service satnavs are regularly updated they do not necessary update in line with the rapid property development and will always be reliant on postcodes being registered in a timely manner.
The medical director at the London Ambulance Service, Fenella Wrigley confirmed that the service had responded to a call reporting a man experiencing chest pains at Lee Valley velodrome and the service was incredibly sorry for the delay in responding and reaching the gentleman. She confirmed that since this incident the circumstances have been investigated and steps have been put in place to ensure better knowledge of the areas to minimize future risks. All members of staff are now aware of road changes and updated regularly. In addition, many of the systems used now include specific details or the surrounding areas.
The Lee Valley Park velodrome is operated by Vibrant Partnerships, who also confirmed that a 60-year-old man was taken ill at the velodrome on 18 August. The gentleman had completed a session on the cycle track and on returning to the changing rooms began to feel unwell. The staff at the velodrome had attended to him and administered medical support that included the use of a defibrillator until the ambulance arrived. Sadly, the gentleman died later in hospital.
Since these findings, it has been revealed that 35 people have died in the past 5 years due to ambulance delays. Of these deaths tem involved the London Ambulance Service and just last year they reported 62 serious incidents which was an increase of over 40% on the previous year.
The London Ambulance Service became the first 999 trust in November 2015, to be rated as inadequate resulting in special measure being put in force by the Care Quality Commission. The CQC also revealed major incident protocols which should be reviewed every year had not been amended since July 2012, the start of the London Olympics.
