Darren Phillips called 999 shortly after 1am, reporting Francesca might be having a heart attack, according to multiple reports. An ambulance arrived at 2:34am after multiple 999 calls, though the Daily Mail reported the arrival time as 2:41am. Paramedics began CPR when Francesca Phillips went into cardiac arrest, and she was declared dead shortly after 3:30am despite 45 minutes of resuscitation attempts, multiple reports indicate.
The incident was given a Category 2 ambulance response, with a target response time of 18 minutes, according to Kathryn Taylor, head of quality governance for the ambulance service. Laura, Francesca's sister, felt the 999 call was not treated as a priority, while Benjamin, Laura's boyfriend, noticed two paramedics sharing a laugh as they arrived, before their demeanor changed when they saw the seriousness of the situation. Pathologist Dr Adnan Al-Badri gave the provisional cause of death as cardiac arrest due to a coronary artery spasm caused by cocaine use, and he stated that cocaine played a significant role in Francesca Phillips' death.
Police identified dealer Jack Budden as the man who supplied the cocaine, according to Detective Sergeant Tom Kenney. Budden was charged with supplying a Class A drug and received a two-year prison sentence, though manslaughter was ruled out for prosecution in this case. An inquest found that the most senior clinician at the time of the incident made decisions that were difficult to justify and is now facing a misconduct panel.
Kathryn Taylor accepted the ambulance response time was above the expected time.