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Doctor told woman to “relax” before she died weeks after giving birth

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A doctor allegedly told a mum who died just weeks after giving birth that she should go away and do something fun and come back when you are feeling more relaxed.

GP Dr Nuala Morton is accused of telling Michelle Roach, 32, that her collapses and fainting attacks were due to anxiety.

Mrs Roach died of pulmonary embolism, a blood clot on her lung, in 2014, just over a month after she gave birth to her daughter Mackenzie-Lee.

An inquest heard that following her death, her husband George Roach was left to bring up the couples baby daughter who is now four years old.

INS News Agency Ltd. 07/11/2018 File picture - A mother who collapsed and died just weeks after giving birth was told by her doctor she had suffered an anxiety attack and should "go away and do something fun and come back when you are feeling more relaxed." GP Dr Nuala Morton was taken to task by a coroner today (Tues) who criticised her for not keeping notes about her patient's visit to the surgery. The shocking claim that she should go off and enjoy herself despite several collapses and fainting attacks were made at an inquest into the death of 32-year-old Michelle Roach, by her husband George as he gave evidence. Picture shows Michelle Roach with her husband George and baby daughter Mackenzie. See copy INSdoc

Michelle Roach with her husband George and baby daughter Mackenzie (Picture: INS)

George Roach told the inquest in Reading, Berkshire, that his wife had been kept under observation after giving birth as her heart rate continued to climb. She had been given antibiotics but then collapsed on the first family walk they had taken together with the baby.

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Mr Roach told the coroner: We went out on January 11 on a chilly day and for the first time wed taken our baby out. We had made it maybe three or four minutes into the walk from the house when Michelle turned to me, looking panic-stricken and said I cant breathe. She then collapsed.

I caught her on the way down and called an ambulance. She came back around but she was passed out for maybe 30-35 seconds, he said.

INS News Agency Ltd. 07/11/2018 *************** Picture by Vagner Vidal *************** File picture - A mother who collapsed and died just weeks after giving birth was told by her doctor she had suffered an anxiety attack and should "go away and do something fun and come back when you are feeling more relaxed." GP Dr Nuala Morton was taken to task by a coroner today (Tues) who criticised her for not keeping notes about her patient's visit to the surgery. The shocking claim that she should go off and enjoy herself despite several collapses and fainting attacks were made at an inquest into the death of 32-year-old Michelle Roach, by her husband George as he gave evidence. See copy INSdoc Picture shows GP Dr Nuala Morton outside the inquest centre in Reading. See copy INSdoc

GP Dr Nuala Morton was criticised for not keeping notes about her patients visit to the surgery (Picture: INS)

On the January 15 the couple went to see their GP, Dr Morton, who was aware she had been taking Ventolin.

She agreed to lower the dosage, but the inquest heard that Dr Morton had failed to ask whether Michelle had been unconscious and failed to make some basic checks for pulmonary embolism.

On January 29, the date of the babys six week check up, Michelle collapsed again.

Mr Roach told the coroner: She got up, got into the bathroom and as she came back into the room she was almost looking like she was having an asthma attack. She thought she was, so she sat down on the bed and used her inhaler.

Then she looked at me and her eyes rolled back and she collapsed and started making what can only be described as weird noises.

INS News Agency Ltd. 07/11/2018 *************** Picture by Vagner Vidal *************** File picture - A mother who collapsed and died just weeks after giving birth was told by her doctor she had suffered an anxiety attack and should "go away and do something fun and come back when you are feeling more relaxed." GP Dr Nuala Morton was taken to task by a coroner today (Tues) who criticised her for not keeping notes about her patient's visit to the surgery. The shocking claim that she should go off and enjoy herself despite several collapses and fainting attacks were made at an inquest into the death of 32-year-old Michelle Roach, by her husband George as he gave evidence. Picture shows Michelle Roach. See copy INSdoc

Michelle Roach died of a pulmonary embolism (Picture: INS)

She came back around after 45 seconds, obviously shaken because she didnt know what was going on. We went to the doctor because we had the appointment already made, otherwise it would have been to the hospital.

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Dr Morton advised that Michelle was having a panic or anxiety attack and said go away and do something fun and then come back when shes relaxed a bit.

The inquest heard that Dr Morton had noted down that Michelle was anxious plus plus, and panicky, but had not noted down her blood pressure, that she had fallen unconscious or that she was short of breath. Dr Morton said Michelle had not been short of breath at that consultation.

The next day Michelles condition worsened and Mr Roach called Dr Morton at 8.50am but it wasnt until gone 6pm in the evening that Dr Morton called back and Michelle was rushed to hospital where she cried out in pain and said she could not breathe.

She died on January 31 of pulmonary embolism.

Dr Morton told the coronor she had asked further questions to establish whether Michelle had in fact fallen unconscious and had taken her blood pressure, although there was no record of this.

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I think I did ask the questions, that I did take into account all that was being said to me. I think the only thing I didnt do was document it, she said.

The coroner replied: Forgive me but you dont seem sure, Dr Morton. I wonder whether sometimes time does strange things to our memory and we might wish wed done something and that becomes what we actually did in our memories.

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The inquest heard that when Dr Morton visited Michelle on the day before her death she was in bed having been too weak to get out of bed and go to her appointment.

Dr Morton failed to call for a blue light ambulance and had instead said the emergency services could use a lower level of alert to attend Mr and Mrs Roachs home in Bracknell, Berkshire.

The inquest continues.

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