The family of a 'dedicated and compassionate' nurse who died three days after being sent home from a hospital with a diagnosis of indigestion say she was 'let down' by the NHS in her hour of need.
Paula Ivers, 47, a paediatric nurse of 23 years, was found collapsed on the floor of her bedroom by her young daughter at their home in Denton, Tameside, and later pronounced dead. An inquest into her death heard she attended Tameside Hospital A&E three days earlier with 'horrendous' chest pain she described as 'worse than childbirth', but was sent home after being 'reassured' it was not 'coming from the heart'.
It was later confirmed a tear in the main artery of the body - the aorta - resulted in a cardiac arrest. The inquest at Stockport Coroner's Court heard her GP had advised her to go to hospital over the phone a day earlier. Her partner, Simon Norbury, said he took her to A&E and told in a statement that she was 'struggling to breathe' in the car. She had an overnight bag with her and Mr Norbury said he expected her to be kept in.
After a triage process, blood tests, an ECG, and a chest X-ray were carried out. She was then sent to the Same Day Emergency Care Unit at Tameside. Mr Norbury said a doctor told them her blood tests were regular and they were 'reassured' the pain was not 'coming from the heart'. She was discharged with a diagnosis of gastroesophageal reflux disease, and medics told them it was indigestion and trapped wind, advising them to buy Gaviscon on the way home.
Ms Ivers' pain continued over the following days and she was struggling to sleep. She died on March 8, 2024. The inquest heard all of her clinical observations were in a 'normal range'. 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. Her blood pressure wasn't taken on each arm. Dr Ahmed agreed with the coroner that 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: '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.' The inquest continues.
