Manchester graduate, 24, dies after being left in hospital with ‘unconnected’ oxygen mask

A young woman died away after being left in a hospital corridor for more than an hour while suffering a pulmonary embolism, an inquest heard.

Clarissa Street, 24, was given an oxygen mask not connected to anything before she died from blood clotting in her lungs at Royal Oldham Hospital in 2024.

Clarissa, who graduated from the University of Manchester with a degree in sociology and received the Dean’s Award for her dissertation, began feeling unwell two days prior to going into hospital.

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She experienced sleeplessness and difficulty keeping food and water down, The Mirror reports. 

On 13th August 2024, she was rushed to A&E after passing out.

She had previously suffered a provoked pulmonary embolism and deep vein thrombosis in 2017, and had been prescribed blood thinning medication intermittently between that time and 2024.

An inquest into her death, revealed that a paramedic had indicated they believed Clarissa was “overreacting and having a panic attack” when handing her over to triage staff.

Following her arrival at Royal Oldham Hospital, Clarissa was provided with an oxygen mask that wasn’t actually connected to a supply “to try and regulate her breathing”, and was left waiting in a corridor.

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Staff Nurse Michelle Neale, who was conducting triage duties that evening acknowledged she didn’t know her reasoning for providing the unconnected mask and admitted it was inappropriate.

Ms Neale subsequently handed Clarissa’s care to a more experienced nurse and indicated she would need a cubicle.

Nevertheless, Clarissa, whose blood oxygen saturation was low and pulse rate elevated, remained in a corridor for approximately an hour.

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She added that the senior nurse had informed her that Clarissa was “young so we’ll just keep an eye on her”.

Ms Neale said: “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.”

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She further noted that a more senior nurse indicated they would administer fluids to Clarissa before reassessing her, with the intention of transferring her to an urgent treatment centre.

Clarissa was ultimately moved to a higher level of care to be seen by a doctor, before her condition worsened and she died in the early hours of  August 14th.

The inquest was told that, in accordance with national guidelines, there had been no requirement for a haematology referral in 2017 following her pulmonary embolism, nor any necessity for long-term medication.

It was acknowledged that, with the benefit of hindsight, a haematology referral and additional testing might have benefited Clarissa and could potentially have uncovered an underlying contributing factor.

Nevertheless, the inquest heard that her 2024 embolism was unprovoked and it “cannot be said that the two are linked”.

If you have been affected by the content of this article, you can contact the Samaritans at any time by calling 116 123.  Alternatively, you can contact Shout, a 24/7 text messaging service, by texting the word “Shout” to 85258.

If you are a University of Manchester student seeking support, you can access 24/7 wellbeing services through the university and the Students’ Union. You may also contact the Muslim Chaplain, Mohammed Ullah, at [email protected], or reach the Multi-faith Chaplaincy team. Immediate help on campus is available via the SafeZone app or by calling Campus Support and Security on 0161 306 9966.

If you are a Manchester Metropolitan University student seeking support, you can access wellbeing and counselling services through the University’s Student Support team. The University’s Chaplaincy and multi-faith services are also available. Immediate support on campus can be accessed through Campus Security.

Featured image via Instagram @clarissastreet