AMBULANCE chiefs have been urged to look at how cover may be improved during the summer in rural tourist hotspots after a coroner ruled that the death of a six-year-old girl who choked on a grape was an accident.

Ambulance cover in North West Wales was one of the issues which coroner Nicola Jones said would be the subject of a prevention of future deaths report.

“It’s clear the Welsh Ambulance Service need to address a gap in air support during the hours not covered by air ambulance, 8pm to 7am,” Mrs Jones said. She said the trust also needed to ensure there was effective planning to make sure community first responders were retained, replaced when they left, and recruited.

The coroner said during the frantic efforts to save Jasmine Lapsley there had been “failing” by a paramedic in his treatment and “miscommunication” by him.

After the inquest. Jasmine’s family said: “Jasmine was failed by the Welsh Ambulance Service. Jasmine was denied the opportunity for life-saving care that she desperately needed.”

A conclusion of accidental death was recorded by the coroner on Jasmine, of Liverpool, who died in Aug­ust 2014.

She had been on holiday at Morfa Nefyn when the tragedy occurred and the nearest available ambulance took 25 minutes to reach her from 19 miles away at Porthmadog.

Ambulances are meant to reach the most life-threatening emergencies within eight minutes.

But the Welsh Ambulance Service has been criticised for repeatedly failing to meet the target.

Gill Pleming, a control room manager for the Welsh Ambulance Service, said there were 21 incidents being dealt with at the time of Jasmine’s choking.

Jasmine was the most life-threatening case but there were another­ nine “Red” emergency calls.

She insisted there was no delay­ because it was a “very busy” evening.

Jasmine was airlifted to hospital at Bangor by an RAF rescue helicopter.

Sonia Thompson, interim head of operations for the ambulance service in north Wales, said: “It’s challenging and difficult in a rural area to meet the target – 65 per cent isn’t a target set by the Welsh Amb­ulance Service, it’s a target set for us.”

It was now met in Gwynedd following the changes to performance measures although response in the county – 66 per cent in November – fell short of the 75 per cent ambulance target in England.

After the inquest, Jasmine’s mother Kathleen pointed out that the coroner had identified there could still be a risk to life to those in Jasmine’s condition.

Tracy Myhill, chief executive of the Welsh Ambulance Service, said: “What happened to Jasmine was an absolute tragedy and our thoughts and sympathies remain with Mr and Mrs Lapsley.

“We know that there are things we could have done differently, both during and after the event, and for that we are genuinely sorry.

“While we have already made many improvements since Jasmine’s tragic death – like the method we use to treat a child whose airway is compromised – we know that there is still work to do.”