The family of a County Durham man who died after a long wait for an ambulance refuse to accept a “hollow” apology from ambulance chiefs, who the family say, “repeatedly lied” about their loved one’s death.
Andrew Watson, from Langley Moor, died aged 32 on October 10, 2019, after an ambulance took 67 minutes to reach him when he was struggling to breathe. He had quinsy, an infection of the tonsils.
Concerns were raised by a paramedic the next day, but Andrew’s family were never told and buried him unaware the North East Ambulance Service (NEAS) was investigating.
His family says NEAS bosses “repeatedly lied” claiming he didn’t feature in a 2020 report into alleged death cover-ups at the trust. That report said Andrew may have survived if he had earlier treatment.
“They have lied and continued to lie, and we’ve had to grieve again,” sister Rachel told the Echo.
A letter seen by this newspaper, sent to his family, from Guisborough, last June by NEAS’ lawyers sharing a redacted version of that report said: “We can confirm that none of these (redactions) relate to Mr Watson”.
Andrew’s mum Liz says NEAS told them “about three times” that he did not feature in the report.
But a later letter from the service’s lawyers in November admitted: “This was an error of the writer for which we apologise for”.
The report detailing how coroners were “not being made aware of concerns and/or investigations being carried out by the trust in a timely fashion” after patients died was leaked to the press in 2022 by whistleblower Paul Calvert who says families and coroners were misled at inquests to cover up medical errors.
Andrew’s younger sister Rachel Turnbull, 33, says the family was left “angry and upset” after being told he wasn’t in the report even though they “knew he was in there”.
“The fact that they lied to us, lied to the family when all we were asking for was information, to be transparent.
“For them to say he’s not in it and say that was the writer’s error - you can’t make a mistake like that.
“All of this has put so much pressure and strain on the family which wasn’t needed.
“It’s a kick in the teeth to find out there’s been a cover-up but then for them to continue to lie like that.”
NEAS has apologised for the error but said they cannot comment further due to ongoing inquest proceedings.
A spokesperson said: “An error was made in correspondence with the family in relation to the interim AuditOne report for which we apologise. A redacted copy of the report as it relates to Mr Watson's case has now being shared.
“Utmost in our mind is Andrew’s family, and we unreservedly apologise for the distress we have caused to them.”
But Andrew’s family say despite “hollow” public sorries, they have never had a direct apology from anyone at NEAS.
“It’s too late for that,” Rachel added.
It was only when Liz got a letter from a journalist in early 2023 saying they needed to speak to her that she found out her son could have survived.
Andrew called 999 as he was struggling to breathe, had a swollen throat, and was vomiting blood at 5.38pm on October 10, 2019. He died after paramedics arrived following two more calls and the incident was upgraded to the most urgent level after staff at his supported living facility found him unresponsive.
“He should still be here today”, Rachel said. “I shouldn’t even be having this conversation.
“He’s not a statistic, he’s not a number, he’s somebody’s loved one. He’s my brother.
“There was never a dull moment with him, he was always joking. He was just the sort of person that you want as a big brother.
“We have had to grieve again and go through all of this process trying to get answers.”
A report said: “It is possible that if treatment had of been started earlier then the chance of survival would have been increased.
“A delay in receiving an ambulance response is likely to have contributed to this outcome.”
Despite this, it was decided the 67-minute delay should only be classed as causing moderate harm.
Mum Liz always “thought there was something strange” about Andrew’s death from quinsy in the 21st century. "How can it be moderate harm when someone has died?", she added. He leaves behind his mum, dad, and three siblings, and became an uncle ten days before his death.
It is understood NEAS wrote to the coroner in May 2020 apologising for failing to disclose full information about the case previously. An inquest was reopened last November and continues later this month.
The family back calls for a public inquiry into NEAS, along with others affected by alleged death cover-ups.
“I would like a public inquiry,” Rachel added. “People should be held accountable for his death.
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“I want people to stand there and tell the truth under oath so we can have some confidence in what we’re being told.”
NEAS bosses have repeatedly stressed they have made changes since Andrew’s death, including responding to the recommendations of an review held by Dame Marianne Griffiths in 2022, by introducing new procedures and leadership.
That report, which did not look at Andrew’s case, found “a number of failings in how the Trust should have responded to the incidents and then in their response to concerns about how failings were accepted and followed up.”
Chief executive Helen Ray, who will retire next month, said in July 2023: “There were flaws in our processes and these have now either been addressed or are being resolved at pace.”
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