Woman, 24, dies in hospital after paramedic 'thought she was overreacting'

A "talented" university graduate died after spending more than an hour in a hospital corridor where a nurse gave her an oxygen mask that wasn't connected to anything, an inquest has heard. Clarissa Street, 24, had suffered a pulmonary embolism and was taken to A&E at Royal Oldham Hospital after spells of dizziness and feeling unwell. The University of Manchester graduate, who studied Sociology and earned the Dean's Award for her dissertation, tragically died just hours later on August 14, 2024. An inquest into her death heard that a paramedic had suggested they thought Clarissa, described by her family as a well liked, creative and outgoing woman, was "overreacting and having a panic attack" when she was passed over to triage staff. After arriving at Royal Oldham Hospital, Clarissa was given an oxygen mask that wasn't connected to anything "to try and regulate her breathing" and spent around an hour in a corridor before being transferred to higher care, the inquest was told. Sadly, her condition deteriorated and she died due to pulmonary embolism with a background of fatty liver disease, reports Manchester Evening News . Clarissa's boyfriend had called an ambulance on August 13 when she started passing out after two days of feeling unwell, the inquest heard. She had been unable to sleep and was struggling to keep food and water down for the days leading up to her hospital admission. The inquest heard Clarissa had a history of a provoked pulmonary embolism and deep vein thrombosis in 2017, and had taken blood thinners at different times between then and 2024. Nurse Michelle Neale, the triage nurse working on the night of her death, asked for Clarissa to have an ECG, blood tests and venous blood gas tests. She said the ambulance had told her she was hyper ventilating but they had regulated her breathing by talking to her. She said she "didn't know" why she gave her a disconnected mask and accepted she shouldn't have done it - but said it "did regulate her breathing" and that Clarissa was "speaking in full sentences". Ms Neale then passed Clarissa onto a more senior nurse and told her she would require a cubicle. However, Clarissa, who had low blood oxygen levels and a high heart rate, was then placed in a corridor for around an hour. The senior nurse told Ms Neale that Clarissa was "young so we'll just keep an eye on her" when she was put on fluids and left in the corridor, she said. Ms Neale added: "Normally I would challenge it but Clarissa was talking to me. She could speak to me in full sentences. I remember her coming in. She was able to talk to me and she told me that she had been on holiday to the Canary Islands. I went back to Clarissa on the corridor and I asked her had [the oxygen mask] helped her and she said yes." Ms Neale said a more senior nurse said they would give Clarissa some fluids and then reassess her with the view of sending her to an urgent treatment centre. But Clarissa was eventually taken to higher care to be treated by a doctor before deteriorating and sadly passing away in the early hours of August 14. The inquest was told that, based on national guidelines, Clarissa did not need to be referred to haematology in 2017 at the time of her pulmonary embolism - and did not require long-term use of anticoagulant drugs due to her embolism being provoked. It was accepted that in hindsight, a haematology referral and further tests might have helped Clarissa and may have revealed an underlying contributing factor. However, the inquest heard her embolism in 2024 was unprovoked and it "cannot be said that the two are linked". The inquest is scheduled to conclude on Friday, May 8.