Meg Fozzard, 33, was left with permanent disabilities after her brain was starved of oxygen when ambulance crews delayed a life-saving defibrillation following a critical error
A TV producer was left permanently disabled after bungling paramedics “pressed the wrong button” on a defibrillator during a cardiac arrest.
Meg Fozzard now lives with lasting disabilities after her brain was deprived of oxygen when ambulance crews delayed a potentially life-saving electric shock by eight critical minutes, having failed to operate a defibrillator correctly. Meg has since won an undisclosed settlement following legal action against the NHS.
The producer – just 26 years old at the time – had collapsed at her home in Walworth, South London, struggling to breathe and fitting as she went into cardiac arrest in April 2019.
READ MORE: ‘Doctors said it was a New Year’s Eve hangover – now one touch to my head could kill me’READ MORE: Parents urged to look out for simple mark on kids which is ‘warning sign of sepsis’
Her terrified partner Xander Font Freide called 999 and was instructed to begin CPR straight away. Despite this, when ambulance crews arrived – having struggled to locate the flat – they refused to accept that Meg was suffering a cardiac arrest, despite being warned by the emergency call handler just minutes before.
A defibrillator indicated that Meg had a dangerous heart rhythm requiring an immediate shock. However, because paramedics had connected the wrong equipment – monitoring leads rather than defibrillation pads – the device failed to alert them that a shock was necessary.
Even at that point, crews pressed the wrong button on the machine, known as a LifePak, further delaying its emergency mode by another four minutes. London Ambulance Service NHS Trust has since acknowledged there was an eight-minute delay before Meg received an electric shock to her heart.
Meg, who sustained a brain injury after being deprived of oxygen as a result of her cardiac arrest, now battles with her speech, suffers from fatigue and relies on a wheelchair to get around. She has since received an undisclosed settlement from the ambulance service, which has acknowledged breaches in its duty of care.
Meg, now 33, said: “It’s almost impossible to find the words to describe the physical and emotional impact of trying to come to terms with what happened. At first I had no idea but as the severity of my brain injury became more apparent the realisation started to sink in. That moment of being in hospital and realising my life was never going to be the same was tough, I really struggled with that.”
Meg’s cardiac arrest was triggered by an undiagnosed underlying heart condition. She has no recollection of waking up in hospital and was left unable to work for 14 months. She continues to experience additional symptoms including brain fog, reduced dexterity and involuntary spasms in her limbs.
However, thanks to compensation secured by her legal team, she has been able to access support from a speech and language therapist, a physiotherapist and an occupational therapist. Defying expectations, Meg can now remain upright for as long as an hour, her verbal and mental functions have progressed and she has resumed part-time employment as a freelance producer specialising in disability rights.
Meg added: “I do aerial sports now, I’m learning to swim again. It’s been amazing because I thought these were things I’d never be able to do again. 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. However, I’ll always be upset at the care I received when I was in desperate need so it’s vital action is taking to improve patient safety for others.”
Recounting the moment he discovered Meg battling to breathe back in 2019, Xander, aged 32, a coordinator for a charity, said: “I was sat at my computer and I heard Megan making a strange gasping, croaky noise, then her complexion started changing rapidly. She became extremely pale. Meg’s eyes were open but she wasn’t responding to me talking to her.
“I knew something was terribly wrong with Meg, potentially life-threateningly wrong. I was on the phone to a 999 call operator who was talking me through performing CPR until the ambulance crews arrived. When they arrived I was just hoping they’d help Meg but everything seemed confused and chaotic.
“When Meg got to hospital she was under very heavy sedation and I was told that they were keeping Meg cool and keeping an eye on brain swelling from the trauma.”
Leena Savjani, the specialist medical negligence lawyer at Irwin Mitchell representing Meg, said: “The last few years and coming to terms with the life-changing repercussions of Meg’s cardiac arrest have been incredibly difficult for her and her loved ones. Following investigations incredibly worrying and basic failings have been admitted in Meg’s care. While Meg has made tremendous progress in her recovery through access to rehab, she still faces many challenges.
“Nothing can make up for what she’s been through but this settlement allows Meg to focus on her future and importantly means she will have access to specialist life-time support she requires to make the best recovery possible. However, it’s vital that lessons are learned to improve patient safety for others. Every second counts when trying to resuscitate someone suffering a cardiac arrest.”
The London Ambulance Service states that LifePaks are specialist devices utilised by medical professionals, capable of monitoring vital signs while also providing defibrillator functionality. These differ from automated external defibrillators or publicly accessible defibrillators, which require no specialist training to operate.
The service’s Chief Medical Officer Dr Fenella Wrigley stated: “On behalf of London Ambulance Service, I sincerely apologise that the care provided to Ms Fozzard that day in 2019 did not meet the standard we expect. In the weeks following this 999 call, we conducted a thorough review to learn the lessons that led to Ms Fozzard’s defibrillation being delayed. The learnings from the review were all implemented at the time and our ways of working have been changed.”
