Zoe Bell, a 28-year-old student nurse, died of sepsis on Christmas Eve 2022 after waiting nearly 12 hours for treatment in an emergency department. An inquest heard that she had been working extra shifts at hospitals in Buckinghamshire to fund her final studies. She initially believed her symptoms were just exhaustion from her busy schedule.
She arrived at Stoke Mandeville Hospital on December 23 with a sore throat and severe chest pain. Despite her worsening condition and coughing up blood, she remained in the waiting area for hours. Her boyfriend, Phillip Ayres, noted they stayed patient because they knew the staff were overwhelmed by seasonal illnesses like the flu and Covid.
Medical expert Dr. James Bromilow testified that a 10-hour delay in administering antibiotics contributed significantly to her death. He suggested that treatment before 2 a.m. might have saved her. The inquest also highlighted concerns that early chest examinations failed to identify serious issues that required immediate attention.
By 10 a.m. the next morning, Bell became confused and was finally moved to intensive care. Unfortunately, she died that evening from heart failure. A post-mortem examination confirmed she suffered from staphylococcal septicaemia and pneumonia. Her family remarked on the tragedy that she was failed by the very healthcare system she worked so hard to improve.
