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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
National
Sarah Ward & Kirsty Feerick & Milo Boyd

Woman with brain hemorrhage 'sent home' and not to hospital dies hours later

The gran of a woman who died of a brain hemorrhage hours after a GP told her to go home said the tragedy has "broken" her.

Laura Cartner, 38, died in February 2018, less than 24 hours after being sent home by a GP who did not think her symptoms warranted a hospital referral.

She had suffered from crippling headaches and died of a major stroke, blood clot and a brain haemorrhage.

More than a year since Laura's death, her family are still waiting for answers, and demanded to know why a brain scan was not carried out.

Her grandmother Jess McCartney is leading the fight for justice and has said she will never forgive the doctors.

Laura died the day after a GP sent her home from an appointment (Daily Record)

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She said: "Nobody is prepared to own up to this mistake.

"My granddaughter had a history of illness which they ignored.

"She had been ill with headaches from her vasculitis before and was even rushed down to England because we didn't have the facilities in Scotland.

"She was pregnant with twins and died twice on her way to the hospital and although paramedics managed to save her she sadly lost her babies.

"She was in the ICU in a coma for five weeks and doctors said it was a miracle she survived at all."

Laura had miscarried twin babies in 2016 due to a serious illness which resulted in her becoming comatose.

She was flown from the Crosshouse Hospital in Kilmarnock, East Ayrshire, to Glenfield Hospital in Leicester for treatment.

While medical professionals saved her life then, sadly her babies died.

For six months the family were optimistic that Laura's health had improved, but she began to suffer from pounding headaches and struggled to hold things and speak.

Jess added: "She broke down to me after the pain became too much but said doctors wouldn't do home visits for her.

Laura's grandmother said she was a "fun girl who lived life to the full" (Daily Record)

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"Alarm bells should have been ringing, she was struggling to even grasp things in her left hand.

"It should have been obvious something was wrong with the brain, but she wasn't even given a scan.

"I can't bare to think about how scared and how much pain she would have been suffering before she died.

"I am completely heartbroken.

"I will never forgive that doctor. He sent her home to die."

The grieving gran argued that Laura's death was preventable.

Jess continued: "She had been saved before and should have been saved again.

"She was a fun girl who lived life to the full.

"Her death has completely broken me. It was sheer negligence and it cost my granddaughter her life.

"I can't afford a lawyer, so I can't start a legal battle.

"She was the only granddaughter I had and I lost her at the hands of that doctor."

The 28-year-old died of a major stroke, blood clot and a brain hemorrhage (Daily Record)

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Laura's mother Sadie Cartner, 60, said: "I feel like the doctor should not get away with this.

"I don't want this to happen to anyone else. You can't live in the past and beat yourself up but I want answers.

"I know I have to move on with my life but that's my daughter and I want to fight on her behalf because she isn't here to do it herself."

A spokesperson for NHS Ayrshire and Arran said: "Our condolences and thoughts are with Laura Cartner's family. We are sorry that they felt they had to raise concerns about her care at such a distressing time. However, we are unable to comment on individual patient cases.

"NHS Ayrshire & Arran has a robust complaints system. This ensures that concerns and complaints are thoroughly investigated and the findings provided to the person or people involved.

"If we find that the care we have provided was not to the high standard we expect, we take action and ensure changes are implemented."

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