Maidstone girl recognised for calling 999 after her grandmother collapsed
12:07, 05 August 2019
updated: 16:06, 05 August 2019
A young girl has received a certificate for her brave actions when her grandmother collapsed.
Hetty Benfield, 10, called the emergency services when her nanny Irene Benfield, 72, took a turn for the worse in her Maidstone home.
To congratulate the Platts Heath Primary School pupil, South East Coast Ambulance Service welcomed her to their Emergency Operations Centre in Coxheath, giving her a tour of the control room and presenting her with a Certificate of Recognition.
The youngster, from Kingswood, Maidstone, phoned 999 on the morning of May 7 and alerted her father, Keith Benfield of the incident.
She remained calm throughout the call and followed the instructions of the emergency medical advisor, Steven Plummer.
The call handler also asked her to open the front door as the crew neared the house.
Mr Plummer praised Hetty’s calm approach to the situation: “She did everything right. She should be very proud of how she arranged the help her nanny needed.”
Mr Benfield, said: "We're very proud of everything Hetty did to help my mother. We had rehearsed what to do if her nanny was ever taken ill and she did everything right.
"She was a little worried that she might get in trouble for calling 999 but I assured her that this was an emergency and she wouldn’t.
"She was obviously quite affected by everything that happened but meeting everyone again has really helped.”
Mrs Benfield was assessed by paramedics and taken to Maidstone Hospital.
She has since returned home and made a good recovery.
The South East Coast Ambulance Service were unable to confirm the cause of the grandmother's collapse.
