Braintree: Brothers ask 'why did our mum die?' (From Braintree and Witham Times)

Braintree: Brothers ask 'why did our mum die?'

9:30am Tuesday 22nd December 2009

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THE NHS is investigating claims from two brothers that their mother died after doctors failed to notice how seriously injured she was.

Joan Chambers, 63, slipped on the stairs of her home in Medley Road, Rayne, on November 17 and banged her head on a wall.

Son Stephen said her nose and inner ear were bleeding when he and paramedics arrived.

She was taken to Broomfield Hospital, Chelmsford, where she was told she had a slight skull fracture, but her family are still unsure if she was given an X-ray and a CT scan.

"They kept her in for two nights and released her, which I thought was somewhat early.

"She was found dead in her bedroom from a haematoma on November 26," said Mr Chambers, an airline pilot who until recently was based in Morocco.

He said a post mortem examination revealed she had a large fracture at the base of her skull.

Mr Chambers, 37, said: "The guys who did the post mortem examination were horrified and said: The NHS didn't notice your mother had a gaping fracture in the back of her head."

In a statement, Mid Essex Hospitals Trust said: "We would like to send our sincere condolences to the family of Mrs Chambers.

"As we have received an official complaint from Mr Chambers we cannot comment on the case at this stage.

"We are carrying out a full investigation into his concerns and will respond to him in early January when this investigation is complete."

The coroner's office at Chelmsford confirmed an inquest is due to be held into Mrs Chambers' death but declined to comment further.

See full story in today's Braintree and Witham Times.

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