COMMUNICATION failures between hospital staff led to the death of a woman, an inquest heard.

Pamela Emment, 69, of Hamworthy, died on June 4 last year, several days after undergoing “routine medical investigations” at Poole Hospital.

The Bournemouth inquest heard that Mrs Emment was admitted to Poole Hospital on May 18 with a swollen abdomen and breathlessness.

Doctors realised that the great-grandmother had anaemia and their investigations showed that she had a suspected gastric varix (a swollen blood vessel in her stomach).

They also found that she tested positive for Hepatitis C, which had led to liver cirrhosis.

Liver expert Dr Nicholas Sharer told the inquest that he had said that Mrs Emment should not be operated on until there was a space on his list.

However, endoscopic admissions officer Carole Howard said she did not recollect him telling her to “hold the patient” for his own lists and thought the situation was “urgent”, the hearing was told.

Dr Akil Elewa told the inquest that he read Mrs Emment’s referral form but not her medical records before starting on the operation.

After discovering a mass in her stomach he took a biopsy which triggered haemorrhaging, the hearing was told.

Mrs Emment was transferred to the Royal Free Hospital in London where she later died.

Dr Elewa told the inquest that if he had known about her liver disease and the gastric varix, “I wouldn’t have done the endoscopy”.

Summing up, Coroner Sheriff Payne, said there was “a causal relationship between the procedure and her death”.

He added: “Certainly the referral form, which I understand has since been amended, didn’t provide sufficient information to him.”

Sheriff Payne recorded a narrative verdict that Mrs Emment suffered profuse bleeding which “led ultimately to her death”.

Mrs Emment’s son Neale later blasted “the failings of the hospital” adding: “She would still be here if it wasn’t for their actions.”

John White, solicitor from Blake Lapthorn, representing Mrs Emment’s family, said afterwards: “There was a series of catastrophic failures of communication at Poole Hospital which caused this disaster.”