MUM-OF-ONE PAULA IVERS DIES JUST THREE DAYS AFTER HOSPITAL SENDS HER HOME WITH ACID REFLUX DIAGNOSIS — CORONER WARNS MORE DEATHS COULD FOLLOW

Paula Ivers, a 47-year-old children’s nurse, sought urgent medical help for severe chest pain that spread to her back. She was discharged from Tameside General Hospital with a diagnosis of acid reflux, but died at home three days later. A coroner has now warned that urgent lessons must be learned to help prevent similar tragedies.

A devoted mother who spent almost 25 years caring for children through the NHS died after a life-threatening tear in her aorta went undiagnosed during a hospital visit.

Paula Ivers, from Denton, Greater Manchester, attended Tameside General Hospital on March 5, 2024, after experiencing increasing chest pain that radiated into her back and shoulders.

Despite the severity of her symptoms and a family history of early cardiac death, doctors did not identify the underlying condition. Paula was diagnosed with gastroesophageal reflux disease, commonly known as acid reflux, and discharged with medication.

Three days later, on March 8, she died at her family home, aged just 47.

An inquest subsequently concluded that her death was contributed to by neglect. The coroner found that an undiagnosed and untreated aortic dissection had led to fatal complications.

“SHE COULD PROBABLY HAVE SURVIVED”

The inquest heard that Paula arrived at the hospital experiencing significant pain. Her partner, Simon Norbury, recalled that she had been struggling to breathe on the journey there.

Hospital staff carried out an electrocardiogram (ECG), a chest X-ray and blood tests. Most results were considered normal, although her heart rate was elevated and one blood marker was slightly raised.

However, the possibility of an aortic dissection was not considered by the doctors who assessed her in the same-day emergency care unit.

No CT angiogram was performed before she was discharged. This scan can help identify a tear in the aorta, the body’s main artery.

In his Prevention of Future Deaths report, Manchester South coroner Chris Morris stated that if the appropriate investigation had been undertaken, Paula’s condition would likely have been identified. She could then have been transferred to a specialist centre for emergency surgery, which the coroner said she probably would have survived.

The findings have raised serious questions about how her symptoms were assessed and why the possibility of a life-threatening condition was not investigated.

A CRUCIAL FAMILY MEDICAL HISTORY WAS NOT ADEQUATELY CONSIDERED

One of the concerns highlighted by the coroner was Paula’s family history.

Her father had died following a cardiac arrest at the age of 45. The inquest raised concerns that this important information had not been adequately considered during her initial hospital assessment.

The coroner also questioned why patients presenting with chest pain were not routinely having their blood pressure measured in both arms at the hospital.

Another concern involved the process used to direct patients from emergency departments to same-day emergency care services. The coroner highlighted the lack of a national requirement for an early, substantive face-to-face assessment by an experienced doctor or advanced practitioner before some patients were transferred through this process.

These findings extend beyond Paula’s individual case, raising broader questions about the systems used to assess patients with potentially serious symptoms.

“HER DEATH HAS LEFT A HUGE VOID”

Paula’s family has spoken about the devastating impact of losing a woman they described as loving, kind and generous.

Her sister, Lesley Ivers, said Paula’s death had left “a huge void” in the family and that the pain of losing her remained deeply raw.

For almost 25 years, Paula had devoted her working life to the NHS, caring for children as a paediatric nurse.

Her relatives described the loss as particularly difficult because she had turned to the very healthcare service to which she had dedicated so much of her life.

The family said they believed Paula would still be alive if she had received appropriate care and treatment.

They now hope that raising awareness of aortic dissection and the circumstances surrounding her death will help prevent other families from experiencing a similar loss.

HOSPITAL TRUST ADMITS FAILINGS IN HER CARE

Following the inquest and a separate civil legal claim, Tameside and Glossop Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust admitted liability.

The trust acknowledged that relying on an acid reflux diagnosis without ruling out an aortic dissection, failing to carry out appropriate investigations and discharging Paula without a diagnosis that adequately explained her pain amounted to a breach of duty.

It also admitted that, had the condition been identified and appropriate investigations undertaken, Paula would likely have received emergency surgery and survived.

The trust expressed its sincere condolences to Paula’s family and apologised for the shortcomings in her care.

It said it had already taken steps to strengthen its processes and improve patient safety, while remaining committed to learning from the case.

NHS England also expressed condolences and said lessons from cases such as Paula’s should be shared across the health service.

CORONER WARNS OF A “SIGNIFICANT RISK OF FUTURE DEATHS”

In a report published in October 2026, the coroner warned that there could be a significant risk of future deaths unless action was taken to address the concerns identified.

The report was sent to NHS England and Tameside and Glossop Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust, requiring responses setting out the action taken or proposed.

The concerns included delays in patients obtaining GP appointments, inconsistent criteria for transferring patients to same-day emergency care, inadequate recording of important family medical history and the absence of routine blood pressure checks in both arms for patients presenting with chest pain.

The warning is intended to prompt changes that could improve patient assessment and reduce the likelihood of similar tragedies.

For Paula’s family, however, the findings cannot undo the loss of a mother, sister, daughter and friend.

Her daughter will grow up knowing how deeply her mother loved her, while the rest of the family continues to honour Paula’s memory by calling for lasting improvements in patient care.

Paula went to hospital seeking help. Three days later, her family was grieving a loss that the coroner said might have been prevented with appropriate investigation and treatment.

Her story is now a powerful reminder of the importance of taking severe chest pain seriously, considering family medical history and recognising potentially life-threatening conditions as early as possible.

May Paula Ivers rest in peace. Her family hopes that the lessons learned from her death will help save other lives. 💔