AN AMBULANCE firm will review more than 5,000 phone calls amid concern that 999 operators may not have been able to direct critically ill patients to nearby defibrillators.

The South East Coast Ambulance Service (Secamb) is conducting an internal review to identify if patients suffered as a result of its Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) system failing to identify the nearest location of the lifesaving machines.

More than 5,500 calls may have been affected by the issue, including 22 “RED 1” calls which cover patients who are not breathing and do not have a pulse.

The review will cover a timeframe of 2012 to the present and review current practice with regard to locating defibrillators. The reviewers do not have authority to insist on changes but will recommend changes to working procedures if they are deemed necessary.

All the “RED 1” calls will be reviewed, and the others - which were categorised “RED 2” meaning the patient was suffering from a serious but less immediately time-sensitive condition such as a stroke - will be analysed using statistical sampling.

A spokeswoman for Secamb said: “The Trust has decided to undertake a retrospective patient impact review in order to identify any patient harm that may have occurred and ensure that we have absolute clarity on all aspects of this issue.”

More than 100 defibrillators have been installed or pledged around the country following The Argus’s year-long Save A Life Campaign.