Seven-year-old girl's magnificent response after her mum collapsed at home

Natalie Lancaster had suffered with no previous health concerns when she fell ill at her home in Leigh. But fortunately, she had taught her seven-year-old daughter Mia exactly what to do in an emergency – although she didn’t expect to be the beneficiary herself.

Mia rang 999 straight away and asked for the ambulance service. She was able to recite her home address and details of her mum’s condition to the call handler, all the while caring for her 11-month-old baby sister who was also in the room.

Natalie said: “I’ve always instilled into her what she should do in an emergency. Mia has elderly grandparents who we all spend a lot of time with, so I needed her to understand what to do if someone becomes really ill or has an accident, it just so happened I needed the help on this occasion. We also had an address plaque made for our front door to remind her of our address, should she need it.

“I do feel really lucky. With my partner not due home for an hour and my baby in the middle of a feed, I am so grateful Mia was not only there, but knew how to call for help.”

Natalie regained consciousness as the paramedics arrived at their house, realising that during those few minutes Mia had rung for an ambulance and alerted her grandma, while ensuring her baby sister finished her feed safely.

Natalie added: “I couldn’t be prouder of her, she was visibly anxious when I came to but overall she was so calm about the whole situation, she really is amazing.”

Natalie is undergoing further tests to determine why she collapsed that day.

Paramedics praised Mia for acting very calmly in a very worrying situation and promptly getting help to arrive for her mum.

North West Ambulance Service has recommended parents and guardians make sure they take a few minutes to sit down with their children and explain when to call 999, especially if the adult is not awake. It is important that children know their address and postcode so that if they need to call 999 an ambulance can be sent out to them as quickly as possible.

An online tool, the Ambulance Academy, helps teach children and young people about the ambulance service and what to do in an emergency, including crosswords, quizzes and helpful flash cards. It can be found by searching for Ambulance Academy – NWAS – North West Ambulance Service.