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Two ambulance staff members have been arrested in connection with the deaths of six adults, amid allegations that some patients were not hospitalized when necessary and that their care records were manipulated. This information comes from a BBC investigation. The inquiry by Wiltshire Police began in 2023 and appears to be linked to an internal review conducted by the South Western Ambulance Service NHS Trust (SWAST), focusing on their electronic patient care record system (ePCR).
According to reports, crucial patient observations were reportedly altered to make individuals seem less unwell toward the end of ambulance shifts. This practice may have been intended to avoid transporting patients to hospital, thus potentially preventing long waiting times there. Both SWAST and Wiltshire Police have refrained from making public statements due to the ongoing nature of the investigation.
Last year, a man in his 30s from West Wiltshire was arrested on suspicion of six counts of gross negligence manslaughter and four counts of ill-treatment or willful neglect by a care worker. A female Emergency Care Assistant (ECA) in her 50s was also arrested in March on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter. Both individuals have been released on bail. The BBC has been told by an anonymous source that in one fatal case, a patient at home had low oxygen saturation—a condition that typically requires hospital admission. The patient’s recorded observations were manually adjusted to reflect a safer saturation level, justifying care at home.
The paramedic involved was reportedly dismissed, while the ECA remains suspended amid suspicions of assisting in changing the ePCR records. The ePCR system, introduced by SWAST in 2016, was designed as an electronic tool “by paramedics for paramedics,” allowing staff to enter vital patient data such as blood pressure and heart rate via mobile devices. This data is then transmitted to hospital units to facilitate better emergency care. Nineteen emergency vehicles were equipped with this technology.
Training for ambulance crews highlights that patients treated at the end of 12-hour shifts should receive the same standard of care as those seen earlier. However, a 2022 audit flagged discrepancies between the automated Bluetooth-transmitted readings and subsequent manual overrides made by paramedics in West Wiltshire. While manual adjustments to readings can be legitimate—for example, if nail varnish or cold extremities interfere with accurate measurements—the audit found instances where changes were unjustified.
A Freedom of Information request revealed that since January 2025, SWAST has completed 12,453 ePCR audits, of which 719 were found to be non-compliant, roughly one in every 17 audits. Non-compliance can stem from various causes, including failure to document clinical decisions properly. Additionally, the BBC has learned that two other paramedics from SWAST have been suspended following another failed ePCR audit unrelated to the police investigation. The ambulance service has not confirmed the reasons behind these suspensions
Read the full article from The BBC here: Read More
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