Patient in her 50s who was declared ‘dead’ by paramedics then ‘woke up’ in hospital passes away

A patient who apparently came back to life after being declared ‘dead’ by paramedics has now died, police have said. 

The woman, whose identity has not been revealed, was declared dead by ambulance staff on Friday.

But the patient – who was in her 50s – then ‘woke up’ after being taken to Darlington Memorial Hospital, according to local reports.

However, Durham Police has today confirmed the woman’s death, saying it was ‘unexpected’ and post-mortem tests will be done. 

The North East Ambulance Service (NEAS) has since issued an apology for the distress caused to the female’s family, with a probe now launched into the incident. 

Andrew Hodge, NEAS director of paramedicine, said: ‘As soon as we were made aware of this incident, we contacted the patient’s family and launched a review into the circumstances.

‘The paramedics on scene were faced with a complex clinical case and we are working closely with our partners and other agencies involved to understand the full picture of what happened.

‘Until this review is completed, we cannot comment further.

‘We are deeply sorry for the distress that this has caused to the family and have sent them our condolences during this time.

‘We are supporting them as well through this process.

‘The colleagues involved are also being supported appropriately.

‘Our review of this incident will of course be shared with the coroner and the police, acting upon the coroner’s direction, to determine what happened.’

It’s not clear when the woman died. MailOnline has contacted the NEAS and Durham police for further comment. 

It comes just months after a damning report looked into NEAS ambulance workers allegedly ‘hiding medical errors and withholding evidence at the coroner’s inquests’.

The independent review highlighted the case of 17-year-old Quinn Beadle, from Shildon, who was found dead in woodland near her home, and a NEAS paramedic who declared her dead rather than trying to perform CPR.

The report, led by retired hospital boss Dame Marianne Griffiths, said: ‘Both this investigation and previous reports have found a number of failings in how the Trust should have responded to the incidents and then in their response to concerns about how failings were accepted and followed up.

‘It is important that the Trust formally and publicly reiterates that there have been failings and restates its wholehearted apologies to the families concerned.

‘Leadership dysfunction was allowed to continue for far too long and this had a major impact on how teams within different directorates operated.

‘A defensiveness grew and affected team operations, transparency, candour and judgement. They also clearly impacted the health and wellbeing of staff.’