Mum-of-two, aged 39, dies of brain haemorrhage after seven hour wait to see a doctor in A&E

A mum-of-two died of a brain haemorrhage after waiting seven hours for medical care in A&E.

The mum, who has not been named, was found unconscious under a coat while she was waiting to see a doctor about her headache.

The 39-year-old went to Queen's Medical Centre in Nottingham on Friday January 19, where she was observed by nurses three times and then waited to see a doctor.

When her name was called, however, seven hours later, she didn't respond and hospital staff initially thought she had left because of the long wait, as reported by LBC.

She was then, however, found unresponsive on a waiting room chair and taken for treatment in intensive care, but she died just three days later on Monday January 22. Nottingham University Hospitals (NUH), which operates the hospital, has started an investigation into what happened.

Doctor Keith Girling, Medical Director at NUH Trust, said: "I offer my sincere condolences to the family at this difficult time.  An investigation, which will involve the family, will now take place and until this has been concluded, we are unable to comment further."

"Shocked" staff at A&E have also said they believe the long waiting times at the department may have contributed to the woman's death. Former NHS trust chairman Roy Lilley told LBC that the case is likely to be "escalated" as an "internal inquiry" is started.

A source also told the outlet that wait times at the A&E department can be as long as 14 hours with queues of up to 80 patients.

Lilian Greenwood, the Labour MP for Nottingham South, told LBC that she agreed the death of the mother was “a disturbing incident” and welcomed an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the death.

Ms Greenwood, who is also a shadow minister, said that “her thoughts and condolences are with the family and friends of the mother of two”. 

News of the incident comes as new figures released on Thursday show the extent of pressure on A&E departments in the UK, with the data showing that the number of patients waiting for more than 12 hours in England rose by almost 25% in January.