Family members of an NHS nurse who died after being sent home with ‘indigestion’ have said she was ‘let down in the worst way possible’.
Paediatric nurse Paula Ivers was found dead by her young daughter after experiencing ‘crushing’ chest pains.
The 47-year-old went to Tameside Hospital in Greater Manchester in March 2024 with the pain she described to her partner as ‘worse than childbirth’.
She was discharged and told to buy a bottle of Gaviscon, but was found dead three hours later, an inquest heard.
It was later revealed she suffered from an aortic dissection, and her family have now accused the hospital of poor care.
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The inquest also heard that Dr Osama Ahmed found Ms Ivers was ‘low risk’, despite having a family history of cardiac problems and an abnormal ECG.
Despite CT scans being the most common way to diagnose the deadly aortic dissections, Dr Ahmed did not order one.
Doctors did order blood tests and a chest X-ray before Ms Ivers’ death.
He told the inquest he now realises Ms Ivers was not low-risk and should have been hospitalised immediately.
Ms Ivers’ sister, Lesley Ivers, also a nurse, told her inquest: ‘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.’
Ms Ivers’ partner, Simon Norbury, said the hospital had ‘reassured’ them that the pain she was experiencing was not heart-related.
Mr Norbury said: ‘We were shocked to have lost her when we were told it was indigestion and there was nothing to worry about.’
Her family has since remembered Ms Ivers as a ‘caring, smart, determined and loyal’ woman who was the ‘heart’ of the family.
”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,’ her sister said.
‘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.’
The coroner has since adjourned the inquest until June next year, because of doctors’ strikes this week.
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