LinkedPrime
Jobs
Health

'Dedicated nurse' died days after she was sent home from hospital with indigestion

The family of a "dedicated and compassionate" nurse who died just days after she was sent home from a hospital with ingestion say she was "let down" by the NHS when she needed it. Paula Ivers, who has been described by her sister as a "fierce advocate and defender of the NHS", was discovered collapsed on the floor of her bedroom by her young daughter at their home in Tameside, Greater Manchester, and later pronounced dead, in inquest has heard. The inquest into the 47-year-old's death heard she attended Tameside Hospital A&E three days before with "horrendous" chest pain she described as "worse than childbirth". The nurse was sent home after she was "reassured it was not coming from the heart". However, it was later confirmed a tear in the main artery of the body - the aorta - resulted in a cardiac arrest. Her family claim failings by the hospital in her care and diagnosis. Don’t miss a court report by signing up to our crime newsletter here . The inquest at Stockport Coroner's Court heard how her GP had told her to go to hospital on the phone a day earlier. Her partner, Simon Norbury, recalled how he took her to A&E and said in a statement that she was "struggling to breathe" in the car. Ms Ivers had an overnight bag with her and Mr Norbury said he thought she would be kept in. The court heard how her father had died "of a cardiac case" in his early to late 40s when she was younger, indicating there was a history in the family. Following a triage process, the inquest heard how blood tests and an ECG were carried out, as well as a chest X-ray. She was subsequently sent to the Same Day Emergency Care Unit at Tameside, which cares for patients who have been identified as not needing hospital admission. Mr Norbury explained how Ms Ivers, who was a paediatric nurse for 23 years, was seen by a doctor there and told them her pain was "severe", saying "eight or nine out of 10". He said she went for a chest X-ray, but a doctor told them her blood tests were regular. He added how they were reassured the pain she was feeling was not "coming from the heart". Ms Ivers was discharged with a diagnosis of gastroesophageal reflux disease. Mr Norbury said medics explained it was indigestion and trapped wind and they were advised to buy Gaviscon on the way home. However, Ms Ivers' pain continued during the following days and she had trouble sleeping. Her partner added in his statement: "You could see that she was still not feeling right. She sadly died on March 8, 2024." The former nurse had suffered a thoracic aortic dissection, a tear in the blood vessel which supplies the heart. This led to an internal bleed and cardiac arrest. Her partner also explained how she had been experiencing pain in her back and neck and added: "We were shocked to have lost her when we were told it was indigestion and there was nothing to worry about." The inquest heard how all of her clinical observations were within a "normal range". The ECG reported a nil acute and no abnormal findings were found in the chest x-ray. The inquest heard how Dr Osama Ahmed, a consultant in emergency medicine at Tameside, reviewed the ECG trace, but didn't examine her. He said there was not enough evidence to suggest a dissecting aortic aneurysm and explained how her blood pressure wasn't taken on each arm. Dr Ahmed added that he didn't know Ms Ivers' family history at the time and conceded there is no documentation relating to his decision that it was 'low risk' chest pain. During questioning, he agreed with the coroner, Christopher Morris, she was not 'low risk' and wasn't a suitable patient for the Same Day Emergency Care Unit. Ms Ivers' sister, Lesley, also a nurse, said she was "passionate about providing the best care possible". In a statement she said: "It is hard to put into words what Paula meant to me. She was a caring, smart, determined and loyal person. She was always at the heart of our family and lit up a room whenever she was around. "It is a cruel irony that Paula was a fierce advocate and defender of the NHS, yet when she needed it most, she was let down in the worst way possible." She recalled how her sister texted her from the hospital and said she had been diagnosed with indigestion and 'discharged with Omeprazole' - heartburn or indigestion medicine. She continued: "She said that she still had horrendous pain and that she just wanted it to go away. I rang her on my way home from work. She said that she was still suffering with chest pain. "I thought that this was odd, but felt reassured as she had been to hospital. We were all relieved that she had been advised that it was nothing to do with her heart due to our family history of our dad passing away from a cardiac arrest when he was 43." She added how her sister was "destined to be a nurse from a young age". She said: "It was in her nature. The children in her care were always her focus, she was passionate about providing the best care possible for them and devoted all her working life to that aim. Her kindness and empathy will have touched countless lives. "Paula meant a lot to us all and we all miss her terribly. We are all just so devastated that she was let down by the NHS when she needed them the most." The inquest was adjourned to a later date set to be fixed, where further evidence will be heard.

Bryana Francis,Paul Britton •
'Dedicated nurse' died days after she was sent home from hospital with indigestion

The family of a "dedicated and compassionate" nurse who died just days after she was sent home from a hospital with ingestion say she was "let down" by the NHS when she needed it. Paula Ivers, who has been described by her sister as a "fierce advocate and defender of the NHS", was discovered collapsed on the floor of her bedroom by her young daughter at their home in Tameside, Greater Manchester, and later pronounced dead, in inquest has heard. The inquest into the 47-year-old's death heard she attended Tameside Hospital A&E three days before with "horrendous" chest pain she described as "worse than childbirth". The nurse was sent home after she was "reassured it was not coming from the heart". However, it was later confirmed a tear in the main artery of the body - the aorta - resulted in a cardiac arrest. Her family claim failings by the hospital in her care and diagnosis. Don’t miss a court report by signing up to our crime newsletter here . The inquest at Stockport Coroner's Court heard how her GP had told her to go to hospital on the phone a day earlier. Her partner, Simon Norbury, recalled how he took her to A&E and said in a statement that she was "struggling to breathe" in the car. Ms Ivers had an overnight bag with her and Mr Norbury said he thought she would be kept in. The court heard how her father had died "of a cardiac case" in his early to late 40s when she was younger, indicating there was a history in the family. Following a triage process, the inquest heard how blood tests and an ECG were carried out, as well as a chest X-ray. She was subsequently sent to the Same Day Emergency Care Unit at Tameside, which cares for patients who have been identified as not needing hospital admission. Mr Norbury explained how Ms Ivers, who was a paediatric nurse for 23 years, was seen by a doctor there and told them her pain was "severe", saying "eight or nine out of 10". He said she went for a chest X-ray, but a doctor told them her blood tests were regular. He added how they were reassured the pain she was feeling was not "coming from the heart". Ms Ivers was discharged with a diagnosis of gastroesophageal reflux disease. Mr Norbury said medics explained it was indigestion and trapped wind and they were advised to buy Gaviscon on the way home. However, Ms Ivers' pain continued during the following days and she had trouble sleeping. Her partner added in his statement: "You could see that she was still not feeling right. She sadly died on March 8, 2024." The former nurse had suffered a thoracic aortic dissection, a tear in the blood vessel which supplies the heart. This led to an internal bleed and cardiac arrest. Her partner also explained how she had been experiencing pain in her back and neck and added: "We were shocked to have lost her when we were told it was indigestion and there was nothing to worry about." The inquest heard how all of her clinical observations were within a "normal range". The ECG reported a nil acute and no abnormal findings were found in the chest x-ray. The inquest heard how Dr Osama Ahmed, a consultant in emergency medicine at Tameside, reviewed the ECG trace, but didn't examine her. He said there was not enough evidence to suggest a dissecting aortic aneurysm and explained how her blood pressure wasn't taken on each arm. Dr Ahmed added that he didn't know Ms Ivers' family history at the time and conceded there is no documentation relating to his decision that it was 'low risk' chest pain. During questioning, he agreed with the coroner, Christopher Morris, she was not 'low risk' and wasn't a suitable patient for the Same Day Emergency Care Unit. Ms Ivers' sister, Lesley, also a nurse, said she was "passionate about providing the best care possible". In a statement she said: "It is hard to put into words what Paula meant to me. She was a caring, smart, determined and loyal person. She was always at the heart of our family and lit up a room whenever she was around. "It is a cruel irony that Paula was a fierce advocate and defender of the NHS, yet when she needed it most, she was let down in the worst way possible." She recalled how her sister texted her from the hospital and said she had been diagnosed with indigestion and 'discharged with Omeprazole' - heartburn or indigestion medicine. She continued: "She said that she still had horrendous pain and that she just wanted it to go away. I rang her on my way home from work. She said that she was still suffering with chest pain. "I thought that this was odd, but felt reassured as she had been to hospital. We were all relieved that she had been advised that it was nothing to do with her heart due to our family history of our dad passing away from a cardiac arrest when he was 43." She added how her sister was "destined to be a nurse from a young age". She said: "It was in her nature. The children in her care were always her focus, she was passionate about providing the best care possible for them and devoted all her working life to that aim. Her kindness and empathy will have touched countless lives. "Paula meant a lot to us all and we all miss her terribly. We are all just so devastated that she was let down by the NHS when she needed them the most." The inquest was adjourned to a later date set to be fixed, where further evidence will be heard.

Read original article →

Related Articles