A MOTHER searching for answers as to why her three-month-old baby died has welcomed an admission by ambulance bosses of problems with the service.

Tiny Bella Hellings died on March 11 after mum Amy Carter dialled 999 when her tot suffered a fit and stopped breathing.

The 24-year-old attempted to resuscitate her child while waiting for medics to arrive.

The most urgent 999 calls should be responded to within eight minutes, paramedics took 26 minutes to arrive at the family’s home in Thetford.

But once in the ambulance en route to West Suffolk Hospital Miss Carter said there were further delays because the crew did not know where they were going.

Her partner, Scott Hellings, 24, arrived at the hospital before the ambulance, despite leaving from Thetford at the same time.

In a bid to find out what happened to their daughter, the couple have sought legal advice.

“It’s impossible to imagine the terror and anguish of Bella’s parents as they went through delay after delay in trying to get urgent treatment for their baby,” said Sharon Allison, a specialist in medical negligence with Thetford-based solicitors AshtonKCJ. “It’s every parent’s nightmare.

“Amy and her partner, Scott Hellings, are still in shock and their grief is still very raw, but they are desperate to find out how their child’s death could have happened.

“We can’t say very much at the moment because we’re still in the early stages of compiling evidence. Also, the inquest has been open and adjourned and it would be improper to make any assertions regarding Bella’s death until the coroner has completed his task.

“But whatever the outcome, we know that the ambulance service has admitted to five deaths in one month after delays were recorded.

“Though that statistic is truly shocking, we can at least applaud what seems to be a change of attitude. In the past, it seems quite possible that such serious incidents might have been covered up.

“But after all the past allegations about the service, there seems to be a new realization of the duty of candour which health professionals should owe to their patients and to the public.”

An inquest into Bella’s death was opened on March 22 by Norfolk’s coroner and the case is now being investigated.

At an ambulance board meeting last month John Martin, director of clinical quality, said five deaths in March, reported as serious incidents where delays were noted, are being investigated.

“At this stage there is no correlation between the patients’ death and the process going wrong,” he said. “We run an emergency service and patients do die and we need to be clear about the correlation between the two.”