Student nurse died from sepsis on Christmas Eve after 'insufficient' number of beds meant she had to wait 12 hours in A&E, inquest hears A student nurse who died of sepsis on Christmas Eve was left waiting in A&E for 12 hours because of a shortage of beds, an inquest has heard.
At an earlier session in the hearing, the coroner was told the delay in treatment contributed to her death] Andrew McLaren, chief medical officer at Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust, also said there was a lack of observation on Bell, who arrived at the hospital at 10.14pm on 23 December 2022 but did not receive an initial doctor's assessment until 7.30am the following morning.
In a hearing at Buckinghamshire coroner's court, 'insufficient bed stock' was identified among factors that contributed to the death of Zoe Bell, a 28-year-old who had been working a series of long shifts at Stoke Mandeville hospital in Aylesbury.
McLaren said the hospital's A&E department was under intense pressure, with the number of patients frequently exceeding the number of beds.
Bed numbers at Stoke Mandeville have since improved following the opening of a new hospital ward, the inquest heard.
