A woman left permanently disabled after paramedics failed to use a defibrillator properly during a cardiac arrest has received an undisclosed payout after suing the NHS. Meg Fozzard, now 33, suffered a brain injury when her brain was starved of oxygen due to an eight-minute delay in delivering a life-saving electric shock. The incident occurred in April 2019 at her home in Walworth, South London, when she collapsed, struggling to breathe and fitting.
Her partner, Xander Font Freide, called 999 and was instructed to start CPR immediately. However, upon arrival, ambulance crews struggled to locate the flat and did not initially believe Meg was in cardiac arrest, despite earlier warnings from the emergency call handler. The defibrillator indicated a deadly heart rhythm requiring an immediate shock, but paramedics had attached monitoring leads instead of defibrillation pads, causing the device to fail to alert them. Additionally, they pressed the wrong button on the LifePak machine, delaying the emergency mode for another four minutes. London Ambulance Service NHS Trust has admitted breaches in their duty of care.
Meg now experiences speech difficulties, fatigue, and requires a wheelchair. She stated, 'It's almost impossible to find the words to describe the physical and emotional impact. At first I had no idea, but as the severity of my brain injury became more apparent, the realisation started to sink in.' She added, '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 fly across the world to visit friends, but that all changed. I went from being independent to reliant on others.'
Meg's cardiac arrest resulted from an undiagnosed underlying heart condition. She does not remember waking up in hospital and was unable to work for 14 months. She still suffers from brain fog, lack of dexterity, and involuntary limb spasms. With the settlement, she accessed speech and language therapy, physiotherapy, and occupational therapy. Remarkably, she can now stand for up to an hour, her speech and cognition have improved, and she returned to work part-time as a freelance producer focusing on disability rights. She said, 'I do aerial sports now and am learning to swim again. It's amazing because I thought these were things I'd never do again. I know I have a long way to go, but I finally feel like I'm getting back to being the person I was before.'
Xander recalled, 'I heard Megan making a strange gasping noise, then her complexion changed rapidly. She became extremely pale. Her eyes were open but she wasn't responding. I knew something was terribly wrong.' He continued, 'When the ambulance arrived, everything seemed confused and chaotic. At the hospital, they kept Meg cool and monitored brain swelling. It was an incredibly difficult time.'
Leena Savjani, the specialist medical negligence lawyer at Irwin Mitchell representing Meg, said, 'Following investigations, incredibly worrying and basic failings have been admitted in Meg's care. Nothing can make up for what she's been through, but this settlement allows Meg to focus on her future and ensures access to specialist lifetime support. It's vital that lessons are learned to improve patient safety. Every second counts when trying to resuscitate someone suffering a cardiac arrest.'
London Ambulance Service's Chief Medical Officer, Dr Fenella Wrigley, apologised sincerely, stating, 'The care provided did not meet the standard we expect. We conducted a thorough review and implemented all learnings to change our ways of working.'
