Ambulance report - A tragic and hard lesson

The death of young Vakaris Martinaitis earlier this year was a tragedy, that it might have been avoided makes it doubly so.

Two-year-old Vakarias was involved in an accident at the family home, but requests for an ambulance were unsuccessful despite the fact that one was available.

A report published yesterday makes a series of recommendations and the National Ambulance Service has promised to change its procedures. Confusion over the severity of the child’s injuries exacerbated by language difficulties contributed to the tragedy, so a move to have translators to support the ambulance service is welcome. It also reminds us all that, in emergency situations, protocols exist for a reason and should be followed in all but the most extreme circumstances.