Student nurse who thought she was 'run down' after long shifts dies of sepsis
Niamh Shackleton
Featured Image Credit: Family Handout
A student nurse who thought she was 'run down' after a working a series of long shifts died from sepsis a few days later.
In 2022, Zoe Bell had been working extra shifts in a bid to get more money to save for her studies.
Zoe worked at Stoke Mandeville Hospital in Buckinghamshire, UK, and finished a gruelling 12-hour shift on December 18.
It was then that the 28-year-old started to feel unwell, complaining of a sore throat. Zoe was also struggling to get her words out.
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By December 23, her condition had worsened and her partner Phillip Ayres rushed her to the emergency room. While there, Zoe began to suffer with severe chest pains.
Zoe ended up being in the emergency room for 12 hours. While waiting she received some medical attention from nurses there who monitored her oxygen levels and checked her for tonsillitis.
However, according to Zoe's boyfriend Phillip, they 'made it seem as though there was nothing to worry about'.
Zoe and Phillip arrived the hospital at 10pm, and it wasn't until 4am or 5am that the concerned boyfriend insisted that Zoe was seen by a doctor.
In light of the student nurse beginning to cough up blood, the doctor who eventually saw her suspected that she had laryngitis, an inquest into Zoe's death heard.
At 10am on Christmas Eve, Zoe was taken into a part of A&E where patients are checked for the ward.
While there was 'a sense of relief' from Zoe that she was finally being seen to and briefly perked up a bit, it wasn't long before she started to deteriorate further.
By 12.30pm Zoe had become so ill that she was rushed into the ICU. Later the same day she student nurse died of heart failure.
A post-mortem examination concluded she had died of staphylococcal septicaemia (sepsis), bronchopneumonia, an acute lung injury as a result of influenza and a viral infection, The Telegraph reports.
Phillip labeled Zoe's death as a 'loss' to the UK's National Health Service (NHS).
"It seems that the very thing she worked so hard towards was the very thing that let her down," the bereaved boyfriend said.
"Her death is a loss to the NHS for her kindness and compassion and sheer determination."
It's thought that had Zoe been given the antibiotics she needed 10 hours prior to her passing, it could have saved the 28-year-old's life.
In a statement issued to UNILAD, Karen Bonner, Chief Nurse of Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust, said: "We were extremely saddened by the death of Zoe Bell and out thoughts and deepest sympathy are with her family and loved ones.
"Such a tragic death of a young person at the start of her nursing careers has deeply affected many colleagues at the Trust, especially those who had the privilege to work with Zoe. We are unable to comment any further at this stage as we are awaiting the outcome of the coroner’s investigation."
If you have experienced a bereavement and would like to speak with someone in confidence, contact The Compassionate Friends on (877) 969-0010.