'Perfectly fit' mum dies two hours after thinking she just had acid reflux
A mum-of-five described as 'perfectly fit' tragically died from a sudden heart attack just hours after thinking she was experiencing acid reflux.
Michelle Roberts, 39, was at home when she suddenly developed a heartburn sensation and a feeling in her throat in October 2024.
After calling her husband, Ben Roberts, 43, Michelle then called 111 to explain her symptoms. She was told to end the call and that an ambulance would be sent out, but it took 80 minutes to arrive.
Ben prepared the children's dinner and went to check on Michelle a short while later later and found her 'slumped and not breathing' on the bed and immediately began CPR.
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At the same time, Ben phoned 999 to enquire on the whereabouts of the ambulance, which he says couldn't give him a time. He continued CPR for nearly an hour whilst blood began to 'pour out of her eyes, ears and mouth' as his children watched on in horror.
Eventually, an ambulance arrived, but Michelle was sadly then pronounced dead. The East of England Ambulance Service (EEAST) wrote a letter to Ben after discovering that there had been 'handover delays' between 111 and 999. They said the service was 'facing significant operational pressures at the time.'
"I found her slumped, not breathing"
Ben has since gone on to lose his job and says he is now on universal credit with five children and 'very little help'. The stay-at-home dad from Bedfordshire, explained: "My life has gone downhill since then - I lost my wife, I lost my £96,000-a-year job.
"I went back to work after two months, and social services got involved and they told me I had to quit my job as I wouldn't be able to care for my kids. I'm on universal credit now. I'm on my own with very little help.
"I'm left with five children and social services won't leave me alone even though I do my best. With the little money I do get I'm using food banks to just about get enough food in the house. I'm now not fit to work basically. I want to work, but I don't think I can."
Recalling what happened, Ben said after the call to 111 he and Michelle didn't know how serious it was. He explained: "We both didn't know the seriousness of it at that point. She told me to get a bag ready for her and she asked me to go and feed the kids as she hadn't been able to get out of bed.
"As I left the room, the last thing she said to me was 'Ben, I'm scared.' I came downstairs and left the front door open for the ambulance. I started dinner and I spent about 25 to 30 minutes getting everything ready for them.
"Whilst I was doing this, I was checking the door, and no one was arriving. I went upstairs to tell her they hadn't arrived and that's when I found her slumped, not breathing. I phoned 999 straight away and they told me to give her CPR."
Ben continued the CPR until the emergency services arrived - whilst his children walked into the room.
He said: "They're crying and they know what's going on now. I did CPR for nearly an hour and finally a first responder turned up and he casually walked in - there was no urgency.
"He took over and within about two or three minutes, four ambulances turned up, seven police officers, it was jam packed. But it was far too late - it was nearly two hours.
"I took my children to the neighbours. I sat in the kitchen for another 30 minutes and then the paramedics came downstairs and said there's been a catastrophic incident and that she'd passed away.
"The police then held me downstairs for four hours to rule out foul play - they essentially said they had to rule out that I hadn't killed her. I had to give a statement over and over again six times."
Ambulance service responds
Ben has now appointed a solicitor to explore beginning a claim for the delays. An East of England Ambulance Service spokesperson said: "Our thoughts remain with Mr Roberts and his family following the death of his wife, Michelle, in October 2024.
"We recognise that our response on that day fell below the standards patients and their families have a right to expect, and we have apologised to Mr Roberts for this.
"Following a full review by our patient safety team, we have carefully considered the circumstances surrounding this incident and the lessons that can be learned.
"At the time of the 999 call, the ambulance service was facing significant operational pressures, including delays in transferring patients at local hospitals. However, we recognise the impact that our delayed response had on Mr Roberts and his family.
"We remain committed to learning from incidents such as this and to improving the care we provide. Since October 2024, we have continued to work with hospital partners to reduce handover delays and improved response times to the most serious emergencies."
James Holt