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Emergency services welcome ruling as Lady Justice Hallett raised concerns about lack of funding to London Air Ambulance
The lack of resources, communication breakdowns and confusion that caused delays in the emergency services reaching people immediately after the 7 July terrorist attacks did not contribute to the deaths of any of the victims, the inquest found.
The emergency services welcomed Lady Justice Hallett's ruling that none of the 52 victims who died in the terrorist blasts on 7 July 2005 could have been saved if help from the emergency services had arrived earlier. "I am satisfied on the balance of probabilities that each of them would have died whatever time the emergency services reached and rescued them," the coroner said.
The evidence did "not justify the conclusion that any failings of any organisation or individual caused or contributed to the deaths," she added.
But at an emotionally charged press conference following the ruling, the father of one victim said that even if the delays had not caused deaths, they should not have happened.
John Taylor, father of 24-year-old Carrie, who died in the bombing at Aldgate on the Circle line, said: "Carrie might not have been saved but she should have had the chance, and so should all the rest of them."
Families had called for 32 recommendations, but Hallett made only nine, seven of which related to the emergency services, under rule 43 of the Coroners Rules 1984.
Although changes had been made to emergency services procedures, "some concerns that circumstances creating a risk of other deaths" remained, she said.
Among the recommendations was a call for greater communication between Transport for London and the emergency services, more inter-agency training and better funding for the London Air Ambulance, which had saved lives after the attacks.
She raised concerns about London's ability to respond to future terrorist attacks, because of a lack of funding to agencies such as the London Air Ambulance.
The LAA, which by chance had extra capacity on 7 July and played a crucial role at the Tavistock Square blast site, suffered from a lack of funding which meant that in the event of a similar attack it would fall "woefully short of the response that [it] was able to muster on 7/7 and this gives … cause for grave concern".
Hallett added: "I am concerned that London, a major global capital, host to the Olympics in 2012 and a prime terrorist target, should find itself dependent upon corporate funding and charitable donations."
The failures in communication, which saw the radio systems of all the emergency services rendered useless, had made it "extremely difficult to convey timely and accurate information and requests for assistance", she said.
She recommended that Transport for London inform the emergency services of a terrorist attack, after the inquest learned that a failure in the underground radio network resulted in an unclear and incomplete picture of the nature of the attacks reaching both the London Underground control room and the emergency services in the immediate aftermath of the explosions.
Echoing the families' requests, she also called for inter-agency training for major incidents, saying it was "vital in helping to reduce confusion and in fostering a better understanding of the emergency services' respective roles".
Hallett also recommended the establishment of a common rendezvous point at the scene of an emergency, to be manned by a member of London Underground, a review of how TfL confirms that the traction current of rail lines is off, and a review of whether underground trains should carry first-aid kits and stretchers. The London Ambulance Service was told it should review its existing triage system, so that victims could be given immediate basic medical assistance.
The emergency services stressed that failings exposed by the multi-site terrorist attack had been addressed since 2005.
London Ambulance Service chief executive Peter Bradley admitted that on the day of the attacks the service's response could have been better. "For this reason, we are genuinely sorry if any families or survivors feel unhappy about our response," he said.
Since 7 July, the service had improved its 999 call centre, introduced a new radio system, and introduced a system which sent a set number of vehicles when a major incident was declared, he added.
London's transport commissioner, Peter Hendy, said the actions of his staff "were nothing short of heroic" on July 7. Getting the transport network up and running as soon as possible demonstrated that "Londoners will never be cowed by such attacks, and that the freedoms and tolerance that are such important features of this great city are preserved", he added.
The commissioner of the London Fire Brigade, Ron Dobson, said it would now consider the recommendations. "Today our thoughts are with those who were injured and the families and friends of those who lost their lives, including our London Fire Brigade colleague Lee Baisden," he said.
Speaking outside the Royal Courts of Justice, where Justice Hallett handed down her ruling, Assistant Commissioner Chris Allison, of the Metropolitan police, said he hoped it would provide "some element of closure" to those affected and that he was "exceptionally proud" of the police's work on the day.