Family want answers from Basildon Hospital after beloved grandmother died (From Southend Standard)

Chapple family say Pamela Chapple's life could have been saved if Basildon Hospital had acted sooner

8:30am Wednesday 6th March 2013 in Echo News By Emma Thomas

THE family of a woman who died from a brain hemorrhage were told her life could have been saved if Basildon Hospital had acted sooner.

Daniel Chapple, 36, and his family now want questions answered by medics at Basildon over the treatment of mum Pamela Chapple, 62.

Pamela was taken to Basildon Hospital twice in two days after suffering severe headaches, nausea and having sky high blood pressure.

But despite being diagnosed with a serious brain hemorrhage the second time, it took another six hours for Pamela to be transferred to Queens Hospital in Romford, which offers specialist neurological care.

Daniel believes the delay cost his mother her life.

He said: “My dad asked could more have been done if we had got here sooner? A doctor at Queens said ‘undoubtably yes’.

“I just don’t want anyone else to go through this.”

Pamela from South Ockendon, started being sick and said she “felt like her head would explode” on Sunday, February 17.

She called an ambulance and a paramedic found her blood pressure was so high that she was taken into Basildon Hospital immediately.

Tests were done and she was discharged from hospital the same evening.

But the next day, the grandmother-of-seven called her husband, Brian, 63, home from work to say she still felt unwell. She collapsed and was again taken to Basildon Hospital in an ambulance, arriving at 8pm.

She was diagnosed with a serious brain hemorrhage and the family were told she had to be transferred to Queens Hospital, Romford.

However, she wasn’t transferred until 2.30am on February 19 - some six hours after she arrived.

Daniel said: “They said they had contacted Queens and the ambulance would be here in half an hour. Half an hour came and went.

“I didn’t want to seem pushy but I asked what was going on. They said they didn’t have the authority to use blue flashing lights.

“They told us they wouldn’t take her unless she deteriorated. They just said their hands were tied and that is how it is.”

Pamela, who worked at Beacon Hill Academy in Ockendon, had surgery at Queens Hospital but sadly she never regained consciousness and passed away on Sunday, February 24.

She leaves behind husband Brian, sons Daniel and Luke 30, and daughter Rachel Mailley, 34.

The family have complained to Basildon Hospital.

A spokesman for Basildon Hospital said: “The trust believes Mrs Chapple received a good standard of care at all times.

“We recognise Mrs Chapple’s family may be unhappy about a clinical discussion they overheard while their mother was being treated actively in the A&E department. The discussion concerned the set criteria Mrs Chapple needed to meet to be transferred to the specialist neurological centre at Queen’s Hospital in Romford.

“These discussions, as well as the criteria for transferring neurological patients to Queen’s Hospital, will be explained as part of our dialogue with Mrs Chapple’s family.”