Student nurse died from sepsis on Christmas Eve after 'insufficient' number of beds meant she had to wait 12 hours in A&E, inquest hears

A student nurse who died of sepsis on Christmas Eve was left waiting in A&E for 12 hours because of a shortage of beds, an inquest has heard. In a hearing at Buckinghamshire coroner's court, 'insufficient bed stock' was identified among factors that contributed to the death of Zoe Bell, a 28-year-old who had been working a series of long shifts at Stoke Mandeville hospital in Aylesbury. Andrew McLaren, chief medical officer at Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust, also said there was a lack of observation on Bell, who arrived at the hospital at 10.14pm on 23 December 2022 but did not receive an initial doctor's assessment until 7.30am the following morning. At an earlier session in the hearing, the coroner was told the delay in treatment contributed to her death Stoke Mandeville hospital no longer uses agency staff and has increased staffing numbers in A&E, according to the chief medical officer at Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust Bell, of High Wycombe, had been taking on extra work at hospitals in Buckinghamshire to help finance the final stage of her studies. Asked by counsel representing Bell's family what steps the trust had taken since her death, McLaren said the hospital no longer used agency staff and had increased staffing numbers in the A&E department.