MUM-OF-ONE PAULA IVERS DIES JUST THREE DAYS AFTER HOSPITAL SENDS HER HOME WITH ACID REFLUX DIAGNOSIS 💔

The 47-year-old nurse sought medical help for severe chest pain spreading to her back. An inquest later found that her death was contributed to by neglect, and a coroner warned that urgent lessons must be learned to prevent future deaths.

Paula Ivers was just 47 when she died at home in Denton, Greater Manchester, leaving behind a devastated family and a young daughter.

On March 5, 2024, Paula went to Tameside General Hospital after experiencing increasingly severe chest pain that radiated into her back. She was looking for answers to frightening symptoms, but after undergoing several tests, she was diagnosed with gastroesophageal reflux disease — commonly known as acid reflux — and sent home.

Just three days later, on March 8, Paula died from complications of an undiagnosed aortic dissection, a life-threatening tear in the body’s main artery.

HER SYMPTOMS WERE SEVERE — BUT THE CAUSE WAS MISSED

During the hospital visit, Paula underwent an ECG, a chest X-ray and blood tests. Most of the results were considered normal, although doctors recorded an elevated heart rate and a slightly raised inflammatory marker.

The inquest heard that Paula had described her pain as worse than childbirth. She also told medical staff that her father had died from cardiac arrest at just 45 — a family history that would later become a significant concern.

Despite the severity of her symptoms, the possibility of an aortic dissection was not considered by the doctors who reviewed her case. No CT angiogram was carried out before she was discharged with medication and advice to follow up with her GP.

A post-mortem examination later established that complications from the aortic dissection had caused her death.

A CORONER’S FINDING THAT RAISED URGENT QUESTIONS

At the conclusion of the inquest on June 17, 2026, Manchester South coroner Chris Morris recorded that Paula’s death had been “contributed to by neglect.”

The coroner said that if a CT angiogram had been performed, the underlying condition would likely have been identified. Paula could then have been transferred to a specialist centre for emergency surgery, which he said she probably would have survived.

In a subsequent report published by the Courts and Tribunals Judiciary on October 13, 2026, the coroner warned of a “significant risk of future deaths” unless action was taken to address the concerns identified.

Those concerns included inconsistent hospital procedures for directing patients to urgent-care services, the lack of a national requirement for an early face-to-face assessment by an experienced clinician before patients were redirected, and failures to automatically capture important family medical history.

The report also raised concerns that patients presenting with chest pain were not routinely having their blood pressure checked in both arms.

“HER NEEDLESS DEATH HAS LEFT A HUGE VOID”

For Paula’s loved ones, the findings cannot undo the loss of a woman who spent much of her life caring for others.

Paula had worked as a paediatric nurse for more than two decades, dedicating her professional life to helping children and their families. Her relatives have spoken about the devastating impact of losing her and the lasting effect on her daughter.

Her sister, Lesley Ivers, said the family hoped that the inquest would help ensure meaningful changes were made so that other families would not have to endure the same heartbreak.

The hospital trust accepted the coroner’s findings, expressed its deepest apologies for the shortcomings in Paula’s care and said it had taken steps to strengthen its processes and improve patient safety. NHS England also expressed its condolences and said lessons from cases such as Paula’s were shared across the NHS.

A FAMILY’S LOSS — AND A WARNING FOR THE FUTURE

Paula’s story is more than a tragic account of a diagnosis that came too late. It has raised serious questions about how hospitals assess severe chest pain, recognise potentially life-threatening conditions and take family medical history into account.

An aortic dissection is a medical emergency, and its symptoms can overlap with those of less serious conditions. Paula’s case highlights why persistent or severe chest pain needs careful medical assessment.

For the family she left behind, the pain of losing her will remain long after the inquest has ended. Their hope is that the lessons identified through her death will help protect other patients in the future.

Rest in peace, Paula. May your story help prevent another family from experiencing this heartbreaking loss. 💔