Only half the recommended number of trained medical staff were on duty the night that two people died in a crush at the O2 Brixton Academy, it has been claimed.
Rebecca Ikumelo, 33, and security guard Gaby Hutchinson, 23, died in hospital after a crowd surge outside the venue, as people tried to enter for a performance by Afrobeats artist Asake on December 15 last year.
Medical provider Collingwood Services Ltd has denied the allegations.
The venue’s operating licence has been suspended as Metropolitan Police officers probe the fatal incident, including claims of lax security and concertgoers attempting to enter without tickets.
Whistleblowers at medical provider Collingwood Services Ltd have now told the BBC that a qualified paramedic was not among the five medical staff on duty for the 5,000-strong sell-out concert.
Industry standards recommend at least 10 medical staff, including a paramedic and a nurse, are available for a crowd of that expected size.
It is claimed two student paramedics were on duty that night without senior medical supervision. Collingwood is also facing claims it had previously not provided enough staff for concerts while medical supplies were out of date.
Lambeth councillors have suspended the venue’s operating licence until mid-April, after the Met suggested O2 security staff had “completely lost control of the situation”.
The force also told an urgent licence review in December that there had been a similar crush during a concert by Afrobeats singer Naira Marley in 2020.
Responding to the BBC’s allegations, Collingwood Services Ltd said it was “fully confident” its team had “responded speedily, efficiently and with best practice” on the night of the crush.
“We believe strongly that the swift action and skill of medical staff, emergency services and others who assisted... were instrumental in avoiding further serious injuries or loss of life,” it said.
“We are in full support of the investigation into the causes of the events of 15 December and welcome any outcomes of the ensuing report which would stop similar tragedies happening in the future.”
The BBC said Collingwood had confirmed that five trained medical staff were on duty that night, including two “first responders”, while two student paramedics were operating as “emergency medical technicians”.
It said “all staff present were qualified to carry out the scope of practice they were contracted to perform”, and confirmed that “no member of staff was contracted to provide paramedic level duties at the event.”
Academy Music Group (AMG), which operates the venue, did not respond to the BBC’s questions, citing the ongoing police investigation.
