Wes Streeting told Samantha Morris that her testimony on husband Aaron’s tragic death had helped him make decisions over NHS changes, and he would tell her story to anyone who questioned his reasons, during a meeting this week.
Doting dad Aaron Morris, 31, died on July 1, 2022 after a motorbike crash. But it was “highly likely” the dad-of-five would have survived with timely treatment, a Coroner said, after an ambulance took almost an hour to get to him.
Streeting said: “What happened to Aaron was appalling and unacceptable. Patients are left waiting for too long for ambulances, and I am determined to change that.”
Sam said: “I want my boys to grow up feeling like their dad didn’t die in vain. I felt like my voice was heard.”
The coroner ruled Aaron’s death was contributed to by failure and neglect by the North East Ambulance Service (NEAS).
Sam – who was 13 weeks pregnant with twins – came across the crash in Esh Winning, County Durham, on the way home from the hospital. It was her birthday.
After hepling Aaron and waiting frantically while an off duty nurse offered him help, she then had to direct the ambulance driver to University Hospital North Durham because he didn’t know how to get there.
After Aaron’s inquest, Sam called for change and The Northern Echo put Aaron’s tragic story and those pleas to the Health Secretary, and he agreed to meet with Sam.
She travelled to London on Wednesday (January 14) where she spent more than an hour sharing her and Aaron’s tragic story with Mr Streeting, his team, and the national clinical director of emergency medicine Julian Redhead.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting and Samantha Morris. (Image: DHSC)
Speaking to the Echo after the meeting Samantha said: “If all I can do is tell Aaron’s story, I’ll tell it to the day I die.
“I want my boys to grow up feeling like their dad didn’t die in vain.
“I’m glad my husband is still impacting change and making a difference. I feel my grief can be made into something positive.
“I thought he (Wes Streeting) might apologise for what happened, shake my hand and leave. I didn’t think he’d want to listen to some girl from a council estate in Ushaw Moor, but he was really interested in listening. I felt like my voice was heard and my opinions were taken on.
“Wes Streeting said after speaking to me I’ve helped make him make some decisions he’s been deliberating on, and if or when he’s questioned on why he’s making these changes he’ll use Aaron’s case as one of the reasons he’s come to this decision.
Sam and Aaron Morris. (Image: FAMILY)
“For me, it keeps Aaron’s memory alive. These changes are going to be made because of him.”
She added that Streeting confirmed funding for the trauma desk at NEAS, a main change made after Aaron’s death to help better deal with and categorise calls, would continue going forward.
The Health Secretary said: “What happened to Aaron was appalling and unacceptable. My deepest condolences go out to Sam, who kindly met me today, and the rest of Aaron’s family and friends.
“Patients are left waiting for too long for ambulances across the country, and I am determined to change that. It will take time, but this government is making the investment and reform needed so the NHS can be there for us when we need it, once again.
“I would also like to thank The Northern Echo for its sensitive reporting on this tragic incident.”
Sam speaking to press after the inquest concluded in November. (Image: PAUL NORRIS)
Aaron never got to meet his twin boys who were born three months after he died.
The inquest at Crook Coroners’ Court in November heard how a specialist medic who could have been first on the scene should have been called out but was in a meeting she wasn’t meant to be in.
NEAS was overwhelmed with calls and had 65 incidents awaiting a response at the time.
A private ambulance from firm Ambulnz was eventually sent to the scene, but the crew was working out of area and did not know the way to University Hospital North Durham when Aaron went into cardiac arrest while on route to the RVI.
Sam and Aaron Morris. (Image: FAMILY)
Samantha previously welcomed changes made by NEAS after the incident, but slammed Ambulnz bosses who didn’t attend court after offering to meet with her.
“The Health Secretary invited me to London to meet, but Ambulnz have still never met with me,” Sam added.
“Between July and October 2022 I saw the NHS fail my family and also save my family. I lost a husband but my pre-term boys wouldn’t be here without them, so I know how important it is to make sure people can get to the life saving care the NHS is more than capable of giving.
Aaron never got to meet his and Samantha’s twins Aaron-Junior John Robson Morris and Ambrose-Ayren Morris. (Image: FAMILY)
“I was delighted to hear that funding for the trauma desk will continue and this will be a permanent measure. It’s also about the public using the NHS properly.
“If we use our services correctly we’ll get the result I had with my sons. If we use them incorrectly we’ll have the result we had with my husband.”
Concluding the inquest Senior Assistant Coroner Crispin Oliver said Aaron’s death was partly down to the “delayed allocation of an ambulance to deploy to the scene due to overstretched resources [and] the failure of the ambulance service clinical team leader to deploy to the scene when there was certainly enough information for her to do so at 12.52.pm”
“I felt a bit on edge after the inquest because it’s been my life for the last two years,” Sam continued.
Recommended reading:
Get more from The Northern Echo with a digital subscription. Click here.
“I felt like I was at a bit of a loose end as to what I was supposed to do now and felt like that was the end. But it’s not now, I feel like Aaron’s making change and hasn’t been forgotten about, so it was a really positive thing.
“I don’t think I’ve ever been allowed to be a grieving widow. I feel like my grief now can be pushed into something positive.”
Samantha Morris and solicitor Laura Gabbey-Cristofini. (Image: PAUL NORRIS)
Laura Gabbey-Cristofini, solicitor at law firm Irwin Mitchell said: “It was a privilege to support Samantha at the meeting with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care. It was a productive meeting, and it was heartening to hear that the NHS are still learning from Aaron’s sad death.
“Nothing can take away from what the family have been through, but Samantha is determined to ensure that other families don’t go through what they have. Irwin Mitchell will continue to support the family with this.”