§ Harry CohenTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what the reasons for the delay were in the emergency services provision in respect of the death of Mr. Shiblu Rahman on 1 April in Bow; and if he will make a statement. [2720]
§ Mr. HuttonI apologise to the hon. Friend for the delay in responding to this question. I refer the hon. Member to the reply that my right hon. Friend the1050W Secretary of State gave my hon. Friend the Member for Blackpool, North and Fleetwood (Mrs. Humble) on 5 March 2002, Official Report, column 192W.
The first call received by the London Ambulance Service (LAS) from Mr. Rahman's family was categorised as amber two—serious but not immediately life threatening. The target for the LAS is to reach these calls within 19 minutes, which it did by dispatching a fast response unit to the scene.
A second call to the LAS provided new information on Mr. Rahman's condition, at which point it would have been more appropriate to upgrade the call to red—immediately life threatening. However, the call was still allocated an amber response. This was an error for which the LAS has apologised. An incident debrief was arranged to establish the circumstances surrounding the call categorisation and ambulance despatch.
The Rahman family have been kept updated on the investigation carried out by the LAS.