Medical Negligence Lawyers At Irwin Mitchell Represent His Family

The family of a Leicester man who died of a heart attack are speaking out for the time first after a judge ruled that he would have survived if paramedics from the East Midlands Ambulance Service had taken him to hospital.

Ahmed Hussain started to suffer from chest pains, difficulty breathing and pain down his left arm and jaw on 6^th April 2010 and his wife called for an ambulance as his condition deteriorated.

An ambulance arrived at the 49-year-old’s house in Leicester and a paramedic examined him and recorded that Ahmed had been coughing but had no cardiac symptoms and the crew left 25 minutes later.

His wife Samia took Ahmed to their local GP about half an hour later on the advice of the ambulance crew. The GP stopped Ahmed when he explained his symptoms and called 999 as he was concerned that his symptoms indicated a heart attack.

During the 999 call, Ahmed collapsed at the GP’s surgery. Another ambulance arrived and rushed him to hospital but they were unable to resuscitate him and he died an hour later.

Samia instructed specialist medical negligence lawyers at Irwin Mitchell to investigate the care Ahmed received. The East Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Trust denied liability, but at a five-day trial in November 2015 at Nottingham County Court a judge found that they were liable for his death.

The East Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Trust has now issued an apology to the family.

Hayley Smith, a specialist medical negligence lawyer at Irwin Mitchell, Sheffield, representing the family, said:

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“This is a tragic case that has left Samia struggling to come to terms with the loss of her husband and left their five children without their dad.

“The paramedics should have taken him straight to hospital after they assessed him so he could have been treated properly.

"The trial Judge concluded that Ahmed’s death would have been avoided had he been taken to hospital, as he would have been in hospital when he suffered his heart attack and received the treatment he needed.

“We hope that lessons can be learned by staff at the Trust when they are treating patients with heart problems to ensure that they take action to improve patient safety in future.

“It has been frustrating for the family that the East Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Trust denied liability throughout the legal proceedings and we are relieved for his family that the judge has identified the failings in his care providing them with long sought answers following Ahmed’s death.” Hayley Smith - Associate Solicitor

Samia, who is 45 years old, said: “My family and I have been left utterly heartbroken after losing Ahmed so suddenly and we have always said that he should have been taken to hospital to give him correct care and treatment and he should still be with us.

"I felt helpless when he was complaining of chest pain – I tried to do everything I could to help him by calling for an ambulance. I felt that they did not take the situation seriously and just dismissed his condition.

“We are grateful that the judge carried out a thorough investigation into the circumstances up to Ahmed’s death. Even though we are relieved that the NHS Trust has finally been made to take responsibility for their failures and sent us an apology, nothing can turn back the clock and bring back my husband. I just hope they learn lessons when they treat future similar patients.”

If you or a loved one has suffered as a result of medical negligence, we may be able to help you claim compensation. See our Medical Negligence Guide for more information.