Inquest hears 24-year-old died after A&E corridor wait

Clarissa Street, a 24-year-old University of Manchester sociology graduate from Castleton in Rochdale, died from a pulmonary embolism on August 14, 2024, after spending more than an hour in a corridor at Royal Oldham Hospital's A&E department, an inquest has heard.

The three-day inquest at Rochdale Coroners Court, which began on Wednesday, May 6, examined the circumstances surrounding Street's death. She had arrived late on August 13 after her boyfriend called an ambulance when she began losing consciousness. For the previous two days, Street had felt unwell, unable to sleep and struggling to keep food and water down, while experiencing bouts of dizziness.

Paramedics handed her over to triage staff, suggesting she was overreacting or suffering a panic attack after hyperventilating, though they had calmed her breathing through conversation, the inquest was told. Staff Nurse Michelle Neale, who conducted triage, fitted Street with an oxygen mask not connected to any supply in an attempt to regulate her breathing. Neale requested an ECG, blood tests and venous blood gas tests, noting Street's low blood oxygen levels and high heart rate.

Neale accepted she should not have used the...