A woman died after waiting over 16 hours for an ambulance - leading a coroner to slam NHS reliance on computer systems. Before she became fatally ill doctors knew 44-year-old Sandra Finch was at risk by taking prescribed antibiotics following a dental procedure, upping the insulin required to manage her type 1 diabetes.
However, healthcare services triaging via “rigid” computer systems meant Miss Finch was found dead in her flat 16 hours after calling 999. A Prevention of Future Death Report from the South Staffordshire Coroner stated that a real-life clinician would have declared Miss Finch a medical emergency, meaning she “would not have died when she did.”
Assistant Coroner Emma Serrano said more people will die if nothing changes. Following the dental procedure infection Ms Finch’s glucose levels started to rise, signalled by a pump that pings off an alarm to correct the dose.
