The ambulance arrived to collect the man but staff reportedly lost the keys to the vehicle (Picture: Getty)

An elderly man died after the paramedics who had arrived to collect him lost the keys to their ambulance, an NHS report has revealed.

The 87-year-old had suffered a cardiac arrest at a Derbyshire golf pavilion but died at the scene.

As the BBC reports, the East Midlands Ambulance (EMAS) crew were unable to transport the patient to hospital and staff attempted to treat him on the spot.

It is unclear whether the loss of the keys was a major contributing factor to the man’s death.


The incident is one of eight by EMAS detailed in an NHS England report.



EMAS has now said that it is trying to improve its service, including its response times to emergency calls, handling of complaints and patient safety.

Senior members of staff were reportedly called into an emergency meeting to deal with the eight serious incidents – which happened in October – in addition to the other concerns.

In May, the EMAS was punished for missing its response times – the third consecutive year – with a fine of £3.5million.