**Mum and Daughter Found Dead After 999 Call: Questions Raised Over Missed Ambulance Response in Nottingham**
Nottingham — The deaths of Alphonsine Djiako Leuga and her daughter, Loraine Choulla, have come under intense scrutiny at an inquest this week, following a tragic sequence of events in which an urgent 999 call failed to result in an ambulance dispatch. The two were later found deceased in their home on Hartley Road, Radford, months after the call was placed.
The inquest, which commenced at Nottingham Coroner’s Court, is set to last five days as it examines the circumstances leading up to the deaths of the 47-year-old mother and her 18-year-old daughter, who had Down’s syndrome and significant learning disabilities. According to evidence presented, Alphonsine had called emergency services on 2 February last year, reporting that she was “cold” and unable to move. Despite providing her address and requesting help both for herself and her daughter, the call did not result in paramedic attendance.
Testifying at the inquest, Susan Jevons, Head of Patient Safety at East Midlands Ambulance Service (EMAS), acknowledged shortcomings in the response. She stated that after gathering the necessary address details, protocol should have dictated that the call be referred to the dispatch team. Instead, it was mistakenly categorised as an abandoned call and subsequently dropped from the system, rendering it invisible to other emergency staff.
Attempts were made to contact Ms Leuga following the initial call, however, no ambulance was ever sent. “The call should have been left for an ambulance to attend once we had got the address,” said Ms Jevons, further admitting, “There was a missed opportunity for an ambulance to attend when she requested one.” The coroner, Amanda Bewley, directly addressed these concerns, noting she must consider if emergency intervention “might have been the difference between life and death” for the vulnerable teenager.
Background information presented to the court revealed that Ms Leuga herself was recently discharged from hospital in January after treatment for critically low iron levels associated with sickle cell anaemia. Hospital staff considered her discharge “pragmatic”, linked to the necessity of her being at home to care for her dependent daughter.
Pathologist Dr Stuart Hamilton, giving evidence via videolink, revealed both mother and daughter’s remains had likely lain undiscovered for “weeks to months” before the grim discovery on 21 May last year. Ms Leuga’s post-mortem indicated she died from pneumonia, but the teenager’s cause of death could not be conclusively determined. Dr Hamilton commented, “Unfortunately, based on the post-mortem examination and additional tests alone, the cause of death is classed as unascertained… I am not able to give a cause of death on the balance of probabilities.”
Nevertheless, when pressed by the coroner on whether dehydration or malnutrition could have played a part in Loraine’s death, Dr Hamilton acknowledged that, given the young woman’s total reliance on her mother for sustenance, “there is nothing in my findings that say any of that is incorrect.” He noted that dehydration was more likely than malnutrition, considering the young woman’s inability to access food or water independently.
The court also heard there were no signs of foul play in either death. The family’s situation highlights the precarious position faced by vulnerable individuals who rely solely on carers, and raises significant questions about our safety net for such members of society.
This inquest is set to continue over the coming days, with further evidence expected from both medical and emergency service professionals. The community awaits the findings, as the case underscores not only potential failures in the emergency response but also the broader issues of supporting those with acute medical and care needs.
As the hearing draws ongoing media attention, local authorities and the NHS will be anticipating the coroner’s conclusions with a view to possible future reforms to prevent similar tragedies.