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Paramedics wanted to get Archie to hospital as quickly as possible
Ms Bennett has also defended the ambulance service’s decision to take Archie to Southend Hospital instead of going to the Royal London Hospital straight away. She said that as Archie was in cardiac arrest, it was their policy to get him to “definitive treatment” as quick as possible.
She said: “Our protocol is to go to the local A&E [accident and emergency] as we need to get to definitive care as quickly as possible.” Ms Bennett said for patients in cardiac arrest there is only limited treatments that can be immediately carried out, and with Southend being so close, it was their only viable option at the scene.
“London would have taken us an hour. Southend was five minutes down the road. It wasn’t discussed at the scene and wasn’t within our protocols.”
She also added that the crew had come by road ambulance, and the air ambulance was not present.
Mum was “emotionally distressed” when paramedics arrived, inquest hears
Catherine Bennett has now concluded her evidence and Coroner Lincoln Brookes is reading out a statement from another member of ambulance staff, Jenny White, an emergency medical technician at the time who attended the scene.
Ms White said she assisted other medical staff with administering care to Archie in his home, saying that while they were doing this, Hollie Dance had been “emotionally distressed” and wishing Archie to recover.
She added that at one point, a brother of Archie had arrived at the scene and “there was a loud, verbal exchange with the police” before Archie was taken to hospital.
Ms Dance told to keep talking to Archie as paramedics worked to save him
Kevin Fog, another member of the ambulance team who attended the scene, has also had a statement read out.
He said that he kept reassuring Hollie Dance while Archie was receiving treatment in his home, saying she should “keep talking to him” and that she had “done very well” with the emergency treatment before the paramedics arrived.