Brain haemorrhage prisoner ‘could have been saved’, inquest is told
10:09am Saturday 2nd March 2013 in News
THE life of a woman prisoner could have been saved if she had received medical treatment sooner, an inquest has found.
A jury heard Pamela Bleakley died on April 27, 2011, of a brain haemorrhage almost a month after she first collapsed on March 30 at HM Styal women’s prison.
The inquest heard that Ms Bleakley, from Farnworth, had been prescribed paracetamol and referred to an optician in the weeks before her death after she complained of severe headaches.
Recording a narrative verdict, Cheshire coroner Nicholas Rheinberg said the jury had found the 28-yerold’s life could have been saved had she received appropriate medical treatment in the weeks before her death.
Delivering his verdict at Macclesfield Town Hall, he said: “It is the unanimous view of the jury that if Pamela Bleakley had been taken to hospital at any time between March 30 and April 25, 2011 it is likely that she would have been successfully diagnosed and treated.”
Speaking after the verdict, solicitor Zak Golombeck from Manchester law firm, Pannone, who was representing Ms Bleakley’s family said: “This has been a very stressful time for the family, who have been devastated by their loss.
“The evidence at the inquest has shown that with appropriate treatment, intervention could have saved Pamela’s life.
“Pamela’s family hope lessons will be learned and that the failing in systems and care given to Pamela, as well as the interaction between the prison and health professionals outside have been corrected.
“As was made clear at the inquest, in the time she was an inmate at HMP Styal, Pamela had shown herself to be a model prisoner and had written to her mother expressing her wish to use her prison term to best effect in order to get her life back on-track.
“Standards of healthcare should be identical for everyone in society.”
