Imagine discovering a crucial government decision affecting your family’s pursuit of justice, not from officials, but through a third party! Bereaved relatives are speaking out after an inquiry into serious ambulance service failings was quietly ruled out. What would you do if you were left in the dark about such a vital matter?

Bereaved families across the North East are reeling from a shocking revelation that the government has quietly ruled out a comprehensive public inquiry into significant ambulance service failings, leaving many feeling betrayed and unheard. This pivotal government decision, made in May, was not directly communicated to the very people most impacted, raising serious questions about transparency and empathy within official channels.

The call for an in-depth Ambulance Service Inquiry stemmed from a highly critical 2023 review of the North East Ambulance Service (NEAS). That review had uncovered multiple critical failings, including deeply disturbing reports detailing inadequate life support provided to a 17-year-old, Quinn Milburn-Beadle, and other serious incidents that caused immense distress to patients and their loved ones.

Despite the severity of these findings, Health Minister Karin Smyth officially ruled out a statutory inquiry in a letter to a Teesside MP, asserting that such an extensive investigation would not “bring any new lessons… that would improve patient safety.” This stance has further inflamed tensions, as families argue that a broader inquiry is essential for systemic change, not just lesson learning from past reports.

The profound distress of the bereaved families is palpable. Tracey Beadle, Quinn’s mother, voiced her heartbreak upon learning, not from official channels but through a whistleblower, that the public inquiry had been dismissed. This lack of direct communication has amplified their feelings of being disregarded and undervalued in their pursuit of justice and understanding.

Demands for true healthcare accountability continue to echo, with families emphasizing that until those responsible for the NEAS failings are held to account, the full truth may never emerge. Alicia Watson, mother of another individual whose death, though not part of the initial review, fueled calls for an inquiry, passionately stated, “I fully back a public inquiry because until there’s accountability and people held responsible we are never going to get the truth.”

Adding another layer to this controversy, Paul Calvert, an NEAS coroner’s officer and whistleblower, revealed that he confirmed the government’s decision through a Freedom of Information (FOI) request. His FOI response explicitly stated the “secretary of state for heath and social care, via Smyth, had decided in May 2025 that there will be no public inquiry into the NEAS deaths scandal,” highlighting a deliberate lack of public disclosure.

When questioned about the decision and whether families had been informed, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) deflected, referencing the 2023 review’s criticisms and recommendations for the trust’s response to incidents, rather than directly addressing the communication breakdown with affected families or the specifics of the Government Decision to rule out the inquiry.

Kevin Scollay, chief executive of NEAS, acknowledged the ongoing pain, stating, “The families and relatives in these cases remain at the forefront of our minds and I offer again the apologies previously made by the trust for the distress we have caused them.” While apologies are offered, the core demand for an independent, statutory inquiry into the ambulance service failings remains unfulfilled, leaving a pervasive sense of injustice.

The struggle for clarity and justice persists for the bereaved families, who continue to fight for a comprehensive investigation into the systemic issues within the ambulance service. Their plight underscores a critical need for greater transparency and direct engagement from the government when making decisions that profoundly impact those who have suffered unimaginable loss due to alleged failures in patient care.