A producer who was left with life-changing disabilities after paramedics “pressed the wrong button” on a specialist defibrillator has received a payout from the NHS.
Meg Fozzard collapsed at her home in Walworth in 2019 after struggling to breathe, turning “extremely pale” and suffering a seizure.
The then 26-year-old went into cardiac arrest which was later found to have been caused by an underlying heart condition.
Her partner, Xander Font Freide, dialled 999 after realising something was “life-threateningly wrong” and was instructed by an emergency call handler to begin CPR.
But when paramedics from the London Ambulance Service arrived — after initially struggling to find her flat — the situation descended into what Mr Font Freide described as “chaos and confusion”.
Despite the emergency operator having advised CPR only minutes earlier, paramedics reportedly did not believe Ms Fozzard was in cardiac arrest.
Paramedics did not initially activate the specialist defibrillator’s automatic analysis mode, which assesses whether a shock is required.
The crew then pressed the incorrect button on the device, known as a LifePak, causing a further four-minute delay before it could complete its assessment.
The error led to an eight-minute delay in total before she was finally given a potentially life-saving shock to the heart.
The failing was later admitted by London Ambulance Service and Meg was given a payout of an undisclosed amount.
Meg, who was off work for 14 months, suffered a brain injury after being deprived of oxygen during the cardiac arrest and now lives with permanent disabilities. She struggles with speech and chronic fatigue and requires the use of a wheelchair.
She also experiences debilitating symptoms including brain fog, reduced dexterity and involuntary spasms in her limbs.
Meg, now 33, said she quickly realised “my life was never going to be the same”, but some seven years on, she says “I finally feel like I’m getting back to the person I was before”.
“It’s almost impossible to find the words to describe the physical and emotional impact of trying to come to terms with what happened,” Meg said.
“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.
“Before my injury, I’d hop on a train or even fly across the world and visit friends but that all changed. I’d gone from being independent to being reliant on others. I even struggled to tell people what I needed because of my speech.”
She 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.”
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.”
Chief Medical Officer Dr Fenella Wrigley said: “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.”
