No public probe into boy's death

The health authority has offered condolences over Ben's death

The parents of a 10-year-old boy who died after waiting 90 minutes for an ambulance to arrive say they will not be calling for a full public inquiry.

On Thursday, an independent inquiry into Ben Moston's death after an asthma attack made 22 recommendations to improve response to similar incidents.

His family, from Woodseaves in Staffordshire, said they called the emergency services three times.

Shrops and Staffs Strategic Health Authority commissioned the inquiry.

It recommended that all staff taking out-of-hours calls should be properly trained and be able to tell which calls needed an immediate response.

Action plan

Ben's mother said she had called the emergency out-of-hours service, and after waiting 14 minutes to get through, she was told a paramedic would be with her soon.

The paramedic never arrived so she called 999, and the ambulance arrived an hour and a half after her first call. Ben died later in hospital.

Staffordshire and Shropshire Strategic Health Authority (SHA) appointed Dr Richard Fairhurst, of Lancashire Ambulance Service Trust, and Dr Matthew Cooke, of Warwick University, to investigate.

Staffordshire Ambulance Service and primary care trust said they had accepted all the 22 recommendations of the inquiry.

Chief executive of the SHA, David Nicholson, said he offered condolences to the family.

"I also apologise on behalf of the NHS as a whole for not delivering standards they would rightfully expect for their son," he said.

He added that an action plan had been drawn up to implement the recommendations which the SHA would closely monitor.

He said the ambulance service had also treated the incident extremely seriously.

It had already held its own internal inquiry and co-operated fully with the coroner and with the independent inquiry.