The family of a 21-year-old London woman who died after paramedics refused to take her to hospital has accepted compensation for the tragic failings.
An inquest in 2013 ruled there were "serious failings in the care provided" to Sarah Mulenga, who had called 999 from her home in Barking, east London, after falling ill.
The student suffered from sickle cell anaemia, an inherited blood disorder, and had asked for an ambulance to take her to hospital because she felt weak.
But two trainee paramedics called to the scene shortly after 4pm on January 9, 2011, failed to carry out basic checks, refused to take Ms Mulenga to hospital and later also claimed she had been deliberately unco-operative.
Another 999 call was made nearly two hours after the first, with a different crew eventually taking Ms Mulenga to hospital, where it was found she had died of a cardiac arrest.
Sarah's family ... were left devastated by the shocking circumstances of her death
<p>Solicitor Ric Traini</p>
Ric Traini, of BL Claims Solicitors, which represented the family, said: "This is a positive result for Sarah's family, who were left devastated by the shocking circumstances of her death and suffered significant anguish in knowing that more could and should have been done to help her.
"The family were determined that the coroner's findings, and their own concerns, should not be ignored."
Today the chief executive of the London Ambulance Service made a public apology to the family and said the crew involved were no longer working for them.
Dr Fionna Moore said: “We would again like to apologise to the family of Sarah Mulenga and offer our sincere condolences for their loss.
“We are extremely sorry that the standard of care Sarah received by the first ambulance crew was well below what we expect from our staff.
The crew did not act in accordance with their training and our procedures and are no longer working for the service
<p>Dr Fionna Moore, chief executive of London Ambulance Service</p>
“The crew did not act in accordance with their training and our procedures and are no longer working for the service.
“A settlement term has now been agreed, while we are mindful this will not compensate for the huge loss the family suffered, we hope it will help them obtain some closure.”
In the 2013 inquest, the coroner ruled Ms Mulenga had died of natural causes contributed to by neglect.
Additional reporting by the Press Association
