Fatal Ambulance Cancellation in Kent: Inquest Reveals 43-Year-Old Woman Died in Sleep

A 43-year-old woman died in her sleep just hours after an ambulance, which was a mere six minutes away from her home, was canceled, according to an inquest into the tragic incident.

Karen Ovenell, a mother of two boys from Kent, experienced sharp pains in her chest on August 15 as her symptoms intensified. She described feeling pain in her neck, arms, and ears, prompting her to call 999. Before the emergency call, Karen had been suffering from sharp, shooting pains for about a week – symptoms that can often be mistaken for mere tiredness, but in her case, were warning signs of what some medical experts refer to as a ‘silent heart attack.’

After Karen contacted emergency services, an ambulance was dispatched to her residence. However, shortly after, a clinical supervisor canceled the ambulance response. The operator instructed Karen to go to sleep and advised her to book a doctor’s appointment the next day or visit the emergency room. Tragically, Karen died in her sleep later that night, just hours after the ambulance was meant to arrive.

The inquest has brought severe criticism from Karen’s family, particularly her father, Arthur Ovenell, 68, who is infuriated with the NHS over the decision to cancel the ambulance. “I really believe that the ambulance service and NHS let her down…If the call handler had done their job properly, Karen would be here,” Ovenell told KentOnline. He added, “I will be angry with them until the day he dies,” underscoring the deep anguish and lasting resentment felt by the family.

The decision to cancel the ambulance was made by clinical supervisor Joshua Aicken-Bowley of the South East Coast Ambulance Service (SECAmb). Aicken-Bowley stated, “I have never seen anyone present heart attack symptoms like this before…I wasn’t clinically suspicious of a coronary cause. If we believe an ambulance isn’t required we would stand it down,” while giving evidence at the inquest.

However, his approach was later scrutinized by a clinical operations manager at SECAmb, Vikki Lewis. Following an internal investigation, Lewis asserted that Aicken-Bowley was responsible for Karen’s death as he relied on his personal experience rather than utilizing the proper system tools to assess her symptoms. A subsequent pathology report confirmed that Karen’s cause of death was ischemic heart disease.

In a statement, SECAmb expressed their condolences: “Our thoughts and condolences are with Ms Ovenell’s family and friends at this difficult time.” The service added, “Following a thorough investigation we have taken steps to improve our training and operational processes, shared learning from the incident with our clinicians, and, having attended the inquest, will continue to work with the coroner ahead of their findings.”