The response of an ambulance crew has been criticised for their lack of safety procedures when looking after a woman. 

Sophie Wilson was only 26 when she died at her home in Bishop Auckland, in early July 2023. 

The young woman had taken an overdose and called the mental health crisis team for help, who phoned for an ambulance on her behalf. 

But when the ambulance arrived, Sophie did not want to engage with the crew, refusing their help. They left the scene without carrying out an assessment of her capacity to refuse care, getting the police involved, or alerting mental health services. 

Some 21 hours after Sophie initially called the crisis team for help, the police found her dead after forcing entry to her home. 

Now, following an inquiry into her death, the coroner has criticised the North East Ambulance Service's (NEAS) response, saying that they were not aware of "crucially important information" in Sophie's care plan, as there was a data limit on the crew's electronic devices.  

The NEAS has said that though their team was on the scene for 49 minutes, an investigation had found "more could have been done", and since Sophie's death, new policy has been embedded into how their crews operate. 

In a Prevention of Future Deaths report, Janine Richards, the assistant coroner for County Durham and Darlington, noted that the ambulance crew and paramedic at the scene had not seen Sophie's ‘familiar face multi-agency' care plan.

Ms Richards, the assistant coroner for Durham and Darlington, said: "I was told that there should be a flag on electronic communications and that the control room would need to be contacted to obtain the additional information.

"I am concerned that the information was not seen by the ambulance crew and paramedic who attended. I am not reassured that it will be available to first responders on future occasions. 

"It seems that the limits of the technology require the ambulance crew or paramedic to spot the flag and to contact the control room, presumably for a verbal account of the information only. 

"In an emergency situation and when services are under such pressure, crucial information is not easily accessible to those attempting to offer assistance to some of the most vulnerable people in society."

Stephen Segasby, chief operating officer for North East Ambulance Service, said: “I would like to pass on my condolences to Sophie’s family. We are deeply sorry for their loss and have fully investigated this case to ensure we prevent anything similar from happening again.

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“A paramedic was on scene for 49 minutes, and the ambulance crew for longer; but Sophie would not let them into her home while they were there. However, our investigation has shown there were areas where more could have been done. 

“Although the attending crew updated the crisis team before they left Sophie, we accept there was more the crews could have done. The staff involved have learned from this experience and this has also been shared with their colleagues across the service.

“Since this tragic case, we have worked with both mental health trusts in our area in an effort to embed the principles of the Right Care Right Person initiative.”