But in hindsight she could have received blood well over half an hour earlier he said

General — July 25, 2010 at 9:24

“But in hindsight she could have received blood well over half an hour earlier,” he said. At worst, he was too enthusiastic, no doubt subconsciously having a preference for a hospital where he knew precisely the facilities.”Dr Knapman said it was “very questionable indeed” whether admission to the closer hospital would have made any difference. If he was wrong, and evidence has been advanced that this may be so, I accept his motives were professional. “Any suggestion that my decision had anything to do with a financial gain for the hospital is ludicrous,” he added.Summing up, Dr Knapman said: “There is no doubt that Dr Panay-iotou believed then, as he believes now, that he was doing the best for Lady Elton. several minutes before the doctor arrived by air ambulance.”Because the Royal London is the helicopter’s base it has been accused of “poaching” patients whose health authorities must refund the cost of treatment, and the question was raised by Dr Knapman.Dr Stellios Panayiotou, who decided to airlift Lady Elton, said he would do the same thing again as he believed it was the best option. He will ask Mr Wells’s advice on “any action he considers necessary” about the use of the Helicopter Emergency Medical Service (Hems) and copy the letter to Mr Dorrell.

He is also recommending that the LAS reviews its “acting instructions in Hems cases”.At the inquest, Dr Jeremy Booth, accident and emergency consultant at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, said: “I find it quite extraordinary to hear this lady could have been in our accident and emergency room. Lady Elton, who had sustained massive lower leg and pelvic injuries, died later at the Royal London.Dr Knapman said he would write to Stephen Dorrell, Secretary of State for Health, to William Wells, the chairman of South Thames Regional Health Authority and to the London Ambulance Service (LAS). Both a House of Commons select committee and an independent review of the service have questioned its management and effectiveness.The inquest heard that there had been delays of 30 to 40 minutes in giving Lady Elton a blood transfusion when she could have been taken by road “in four minutes ” to the nearby Chelsea and Westminster Hospital. Dr Knapman, the Westminster coroner, recorded a verdict of accidental death on Lady Margaret Elton, 79, of Clevedon, Avon, who was airlifted to the Royal London Hospital after being hit by a cement lorry in Sloane Square, south-west London, last May.
He called for a review of the use of the helicopter service, echoing two earlier, official reports. The future of London’s only helicopter ambulance was in doubt last night after criticism of its use by a London coroner who heard that a severely injured woman suffered delays of more than half-an-hour in being taken to hospital after a road accident.

Only then will we know when to switch over from listening to the wireless commentary and turn our attention to the TV.Finally, may I commend to you an idea already in operation in South Africa? On the day of the Rothmans July Handicap meeting at Durban last month, the final race was a 300-metre sprint for streakers. A man wearing underpants was first past the post, but he was disqualified after a stewards’ inquiry.. What next? Sponsorship? Will we soon be reading “Pedigree Chum gives your pets added bounce” across the chests of streakers?Selection: a Test and County Streaking Board must be instituted to elect a committee to examine the credentials of putative streakers, make official selections and schedule their appearances. Could she not have waited until Brian Lara came to the crease?First-class standards: in the best traditions of English sport, streaking must remain amateur There have been signs of professionalism. Protective shields and buckets should be available at all county grounds.Distracting the batsmen: streaking should be limited to breaks between innings, the changeover between overs, and when the opposition is batting.

Peter Martin was out at Lord’s, caught off the first ball after Madeleine Perry hurdled the stumps. When Mr Bower said: “If it was just the odd streaker I could live with it but some of this was orchestrated”, I can only applaud his sentiments. Orchestration’s too good for them.Protective helmets: as buxom beauty Linsey (“Phew! You wouldn’t get much of them into a policeman’s helmet”) McKenzie, 16, demonstrated at Old Trafford, the police are ill-equipped to deal with the volume of today’s streakers and have been since 1982 when Erika Roe streaked to fame. That’s the way it has always been and that’s the way it should stay.