The family’s agony upon learning that a 43-year-old mother of two could have survived a cardiac arrest if she hadn’t waited two hours for an ambulance

A heartbroken family was told today that a mother-of-two could have survived a cardiac arrest if she hadn’t waited two hours for an ambulance.

Julie Hurn, 43, died at her home in Attleborough, Norfolk, hours after calling an ambulance with chest pains.

Norfolk Coroner’s Court heard that NHS paramedics were slow to arrive at his property due to being under “extreme pressures” that day.

When they arrived, more than two hours after the first call, Ms. Hurn’s condition had worsened and she went into cardiac arrest.

Her family said it was “devastating” for them to accept that she was in so much pain for so long while waiting for medical help to arrive.

Mrs Hurn died within 30 minutes of paramedics arriving and evidence provided by a number of experts suggests the outcome could have been different if she could have received treatment sooner.

However, a coroner ruled today that she did not consider the delays in emergency care to be negligence.

Julie Hurn, 43, died at her home in Attleborough, Norfolk, hours after calling an ambulance with chest pains.

Norfolk Coroner’s Court heard that NHS paramedics were slow to arrive at his property due to being under ‘extreme pressures’ that day (file image)

Yvonne Blake, coroner for the Norfolk area, said these delays were “out of the control” of both the East of England Ambulance Service Trust and the Norfolk and Norwich Hospital, where Ms Hurn would likely have been taken.

The coroner said: ‘I believe there was no negligence on the part of either trust because they were constrained by external forces.’

The court heard evidence about the extreme pressures the local NHS system was facing at the time of Ms Hurn’s death – with 50 ambulances stranded outside overcrowded hospitals.

Ms Hurn had originally called an ambulance at 3.26pm after suffering chest pains on June 25, 2022, and her call was given category two status.

She called again about an hour after she started vomiting, but it wasn’t until shortly before 5pm that her call was intensified.

A neighbor called again to say she had gone into cardiac arrest and paramedics arrived at 5:14 p.m.

Mrs Hurn, who worked as a contracts manager for Norfolk County Council, died at 5.48pm, 142 minutes after her first call to emergency services.

Professor Saul Myerson, a consultant cardiologist based at the University of Oxford, previously told the court that if paramedics had been present when she went into cardiac arrest, she would probably have survived.

At the conclusion of the inquest today, Ms Blake said she did not consider the delays in providing emergency care to have been negligent.

She gave a narrative conclusion describing the circumstances of Mrs. Hurn’s death.

At the conclusion of the inquest at Norfolk Crown Court, Yvonne Blake said she did not consider the delays in providing emergency care to have been negligent.

Mrs Blake said: ‘Unfortunately, despite advanced life support, Mrs Hurn could not be resuscitated.’

Following the inquest, members of Ms Hurn’s family issued a statement through their lawyer.

Clare Gooch, for Switalskis, said: “This has been an extremely painful time for Julie’s family, who are still coming to terms with her loss in such difficult and distressing circumstances.

‘Julie was a much-loved mother of two sons, a daughter, sister and devoted friend, and her sudden passing has left a deep void in the lives of those who knew her.

‘The family are still grieving and now need time to process all of the information and evidence that has emerged during the inquest.

“They are particularly saddened, however, by the evidence provided by several experts which suggests that if Julie had received treatment sooner, the outcome could have been very different.

“It’s devastating for them to accept that she was in so much pain for so long while waiting for medical help.

“Julie’s family has shown great courage throughout this process.

“They understand that nothing will bring Julie back, but they hope the attention given to her case highlights the impact that delays in emergency response times have on families like theirs.

“They believe it is vital that these issues are addressed to prevent further tragedies and to ensure no other family suffers in the same way.

‘As a contracts manager for Norfolk County Council, Julie dedicated her life to serving others, and her family hope that her death will now serve as a catalyst for positive change in the health service, especially in times of extreme pressure about resources.’