A five-year-old Romford girl’s heroic act of promptly dialling 999 after her mum collapsed has been shared in a video released by the London Ambulance Service (LAS).

Zaynab Qasim had just come back home from school when she saw her mum fall unconscious last June. Unable to wake her up, Zaynab called the emergency services using her mum’s phone instead of panicking.

She was awarded with a certificate honouring her bravery by LAS on April 13, when she was reunited with her 999 call handler Natasha White.

In the snippet of the call, Zaynab can be heard giving Natasha their address and details of her mother’s condition calmly.

Zaynab told Natasha she was “scared” when her mum fainted. She said: “My mummy picked me up from school. Then we came back home and then she got sick." 

She replied with a “no” when asked if her mum was breathing and said: “She is a big girl, she is an adult” when asked about her mum’s age. She then went on to describe their location as being “near the fire station”.

Read More: Some patients who call 999 to be redirected to GP or treatment centre​ 

Samina Iqbal, Zaynab’s mother, was later found to have suffered a debilitating migraine that caused the collapse. She said: “I’m so proud of Zaynab. She literally helped me in such a stressful situation while staying so calm.

“I’m so impressed she knew our address by heart.”

Zaynab was never taught how to make a 999 call. An incident that happened with a close family member in the past made her aware that an ambulance should be called in the event of a medical emergency.

Samina added: “I now think all parents should teach their children how to make emergency phone calls.”

Romford Recorder: (From L-R) Director of 999 Operations Stuart Crichton, call-handler Natasha White and LAS Chief Medical Officer Dr Fenella Wrigley hand Zaynab her bravery certificate(From L-R) Director of 999 Operations Stuart Crichton, call-handler Natasha White and LAS Chief Medical Officer Dr Fenella Wrigley hand Zaynab her bravery certificate (Image: London Ambulance Service)

Call handler Natasha “loved” meeting Zaynab at the ambulance service’s headquarters in Waterloo.

Natasha said: “Zaynab did so brilliantly on the call. She managed to stay calm and was able to give me her full address and landmarks which made it easy for the ambulance crew to reach her mum.”

Stuart Crichton, director of 999 Operations who handed Zaynab her certificate, added: “You don’t need to unlock a phone to make a 999 call but it is important that children know their full address and how to open the front door in an emergency.”