Is this what the Ambulance service has become in 2012, how could a Paramedic watch as a relative performed CPR and did nothing themselves, shame on this person, professional I think not, what are they being bloody paid for?
A husband was forced to give his dying wife CPR because a lone paramedic sent to help could not carry out resuscitation on her own.
Alfred Pearce, 65, and his daughter Tracey, 40, battled in vain for eight minutes to save Beryl Pearce after the first responder said she could not start any resuscitation until back-up had arrived.
The pair were instead forced to take it in turns giving mouth-to-mouth and chest compressions, while the paramedic called for support.
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Too many bloody rules and regulations, instead of having a go at the paramedic who was frightened of losing their job why not have a go at the bloody H&S people for making up the stupid rules in the first place!
THIS is totally unacceptable. We are going backwards in this damned country.
I was origionally a cardiac technician by profession, then a physiological measurements technician, and I can certainly testify to the fact that it most certainly IS POSSIBLE to carry out CPR as a lone medic before help arrives. I’ve lost count as to how many times I have personally kept someone alive until additional help arrived. It’s very hard work when fit and able but can be done, and this is totally beyond my professional comprehension.
Once again, please forgive the language, but..
fuck the regs, there is a life to save.
My words exactly!
litigation culture at it’s worst … human kind at it’s worst. The paramedic put her career ahead of a life. Sleep well … then change your fucking career … you’re in the wrong one.
I have come to learn the medical professional cares more about litigation than any patient in any health situation.
Disturbing but solid truth
I’m very sorry to see this. Please don’t judge the entire medical professionals by one ambulance crew who should be shot at dawn. I am a former healthcare professional, my patients always came first, and I doubt the entire profession is now as inane as that ambulance driver.
health and safety gone wrong yep jeff3
Sorry I do not become involved in these pathetic comments normally but I feel I must explain what the paramedics actions are when attending a cardiac arrest on there own.
Paramedics are increasingly being used on solo response cars so that government targets can be met to reach 999 calls quicker, all cardiac arrests are attended to by the nearest available vehicle and if the nearest vehicle is a solo paramedic on a car then an ambulance is also dispatched automatically to back the lone paramedic
The two most important elements to saving someones life in cardiac arrest is CPR and and to attach a defibrillator so that the heart can be shocked if their heart is in a shockable rhythm. Unfortunately it is not possible for a lone paramedic to do both of these tasks as they only have two hands.
Presumably Mr Pearce and his daughter were asked by the ambulance control centre if they were happy to carry out CPR while the paramedic was on their way to the scene to give Mrs Pearce the best possible chance of survival, so once the Paramedic arrived they would of asked if the family were happy to carry on with CPR whilst they would get the defibrillator ready and secure the airway etc. The paramedic would also of needed to gain access to the veins to administer emergency drugs. If the family were to distraught to carry on with CPR then the paramedic would simply of carried out CPR themselves but would of had to keep stopping while trying to do all the tasks mentioned above which is far from ideal and CPR should be continous.
The headline of the daily mail which as usual is poor journalism just trying to envoke rage at a public service is hugely misleading.
Having solo paramedics on cars so we can get to patients quicker is excellent especially for choking patients, asthma attacks and allergic reactions etc etc, but yes in the event of a cardiac arrest more hands are needed and that is why as I say the ambulance control would always send a back up ambulance so there would be at least 3 ambulance personnel on scene for a cardiac arrest.
My thoughts are of course with Mrs Pearce’s family in what will obviously be a very difficult time. But they are also with the Paramedic who attended and clearly did the best they could while the Daily Mail try to make a circus out of it to make pathetic and misleading headlines to sell more newspapers.
Whilst you may think the comments are pathetic they are valid opinions, some from ex healthcare personel.
Our caring professions have been suffering for ages, we are constantly reading of cases where medical professionals have been less than professional in carrying out their duties.
Only recently a paramedic was caught out letting down the tyres of hervehicle so she could finish her shift on time, cases where fireman won’t go into a expanse of water where someone was face down floating, people begging the services to enter the water and rescue the person, the water only being 2ft deep, these sorts of cases are not one offs, so don’t get angry when people voice justified opinions.
The whole caring industry needs to be looked into properly because the public are getting a poor service…
Lets try and keep to this “story” in particular, as we all know there are bad apples in every profession in the world and this will always be the case because simply…that is life unfortunately.
So I ask the question, how do you feel this particular paramedic was not acting in a professional way?
As I have said the paramedic was on there own so how could she perform both CPR and attach a defibrilation unit at the same time? It is simply not possible.
This website has simply taken a bad article from the daily mail and not even read it properly and have jumped to the conclusion that the paramedic just watched the husband and daughter perform CPR whilst the paramedic just “stood around”.
There is a story here reference the paramedics actions, if you read it properly Mr Pearce was in know way unhappy with the actions of the paramedic. The vaild issue he brings up, is that paramedics are sometimes working on there own and he feels that ambulance workers should always work in pairs so there are “more hands on deck” for events such as these.
Unfortunately the bad apples will always make the headlines, it is a shame that 99.9% of the competent, caring and professional healthcare professionals do not makes the headlines for all the great work they do.
I’m not a medically qualified person but another poster has made comments on this topic?
I do ask a question though? Are you saying that defibrilation machines can be used at the same time as a person performs CPR, I always thought you had to stand clear when such machines are being used?
Also If what you say is true how come we now have defibralation machines in sports centres, shopping malls and other places, even sunday league football clubs, these machines don’t need experienced personel to use them, they have them on planes and ships nowadays?
The two actions are not done at the same time so I don’t understand the paramedics problem?
Giving CPR or chest compressions is a continous action and should only be stopped on two occasions:
1.When the defib machine is analyzing the rhythm of the patients heart
2.When the machine is administering a shock
If the paramedic took over the CPR from the family who would of been left to remove the packaging from the defib pads, expose Mrs Pearces chest, assess the patients chest for any pacemakers, apply the pads in the correct place then turn the machine on which would of been a more advanced machine than can be found in supermarkets and then decide that a shock was or was not necessary? Answer: No one, the only person qualified and familar with that particular machine would of been the paramedic hence why she asked the family if they were comfortable in very difficult circumstances to continue the CPR.
Hopefully you can see that the two actions of applying the defib machine and performing CPR are preferably always done at the same time to give a patient the best possible chance of survival.
Yes simplified version of defibs are available in public places (and good job too) but still if there are two or more people attending a cardiac arrest the CPR should be carried out by one and attaching and operating the defib done by a second person.
Also there are many other actions that she would of been performing as well as attaching the defib, she would of been clearing the patients airway, inserting an adjunt to help secure the airway and gaining access to the patients veins so that she could then give life saving drugs such as adrenaline and amiodorone.
Perhaps if you can now realise that the article has been misinterpreted and the paramedic was indeed not just standing around, and as I say according to the daily mails article Mr Pearce was in no way disappointed with the Paramedics actions then perhaps the owner of this website should consider making an apology on this website.
I’m just asking so don’t get angry,so it’s not possible to perform what’s required medically If your a lone paramedic is that what your telling us?
I am the owner of this website?
It does state in the article and I quote?
“Alfred Pearce, 65, and his daughter Tracey, 40, battled in vain for eight minutes to save Beryl Pearce after the first responder said she could not start any resuscitation until back-up had arrived”
The first responder could NOT start ANY resuscitation until any backup arrived?
If the Paramedic was not performing CPR or Operating the defibrilation machine what was she doing then? I think the word ANY is very important??? Maybe you should read the article more carefully also?
I’m sure many paramedics do a wonderful job as do many other people working in the caring world, sadly there is also a huge number of people who DONT, thanks for your input….
Well responded, i think this guy may work in the profession? If so? Thats all well and good esp if they are good at the what they do?
Sadly it becomes a battle of profession solidarity over that of any patients life and health.
This article states clearly the plight this family were put through whilst a professional stood in fear of litigation over the otherwise natural instinct to save the life in dire need.
I am not angry although will be my last comment as I feel that trying to explain things to you is waste of time.
“any resuscitation” AS IN CPR, NOT all the other elements as I have explained.
The following is also in the article “We managed to get her into the living room. Then she asked my daughter and I to give her CPR while she got her portable machines ready. ”
Why do you insist on completely misinterpreting the article and realise that the paramedic was not “just standing around”?
For the last time Mr Pearce is not complaining about the actions..or lack of from the paramedic but simply that she was on her own and not working with another paramedic.
In answer to your following question:
“so it’s not possible to perform what’s required medically If your a lone paramedic is that what your telling us?”
To a certain extent yes, if a solo paramedic is sent on their own to a cardiac arrest with no relatives/bystanders to assist with CPR then yes they would not be able to give the full range of advanced life support without severley interrupting CPR.
However there is a place for solo paramedics epsecially on motorcycles in large traffic congested cities, cardiac arrests are a very small percentage of the total calls we go to. If for example a 4 year old child was having a life threatening anaphylatic reaction at 5.30 in the afternoon in London a solo para on a motorcycle would be able to reach the patient much quicker and provide life saving drugs on their own.
I am the first one to condone any lack of professionalism in the ambulance service but please on this occasion realise that you have misinterpreted the article and issue an apology…it is the right thing to do.
Right for whom??????????
Clearly your an arrogant medical professional? Your way or no way???? Ha. Little do you realise people are far from inadequate laws and actually have morals,, we can only dream of this in your profession!
I give up!!!!