Student Nurse Dies Of Sepsis After Believing She Was Just 'Run Down' From Long Shifts

Zoe Bell, a 28-year-old student nurse, tragically died from sepsis after initially believing she was simply run down from working long hours.

In 2022, Zoe was putting in extra shifts at Stoke Mandeville Hospital in Buckinghamshire, UK, to save money for her studies. She had just finished a tough 12-hour shift on December 18 when she started feeling unwell. She complained about a sore throat and struggled to get her words out.

As the days went by, her condition worsened. By December 23, Zoe’s partner, Phillip Ayres, rushed her to the emergency room because she had begun to experience severe chest pain.

Once they arrived at the hospital, Zoe was monitored by nurses who checked her oxygen levels and looked for signs of tonsillitis. However, according to Phillip, the nurses "made it seem as though there was nothing to worry about."

Zoe Bell died at the age of 28 in 2022 Family handout

Zoe and Phillip had arrived at the hospital around 10 pm, but it wasn’t until 4 or 5 am when Phillip pushed for Zoe to be seen by a doctor. Despite Zoe coughing up blood, the doctor initially suspected she had laryngitis, an inquest into her death later revealed.

By 10 am on Christmas Eve, Zoe was moved to another section of A&E where patients are typically evaluated for admission to the ward. For a brief moment, Zoe seemed relieved that she was finally being seen and showed slight improvement. But soon after, her health rapidly declined.

Zoe had been working long shifts to save up some money Family handout

By 12:30 pm, Zoe’s condition became critical, and she was rushed to the ICU. Sadly, later that same day, Zoe passed away from heart failure. A post-mortem examination revealed that she died from staphylococcal septicaemia (sepsis), bronchopneumonia, acute lung injury caused by influenza, and a viral infection, according to The Telegraph.

Phillip described Zoe’s death as a "loss" to the National Health Service (NHS), emphasizing that the career she had worked so hard for was the same system that ultimately failed her. 

He said, "It seems that the very thing she worked so hard towards was the very thing that let her down. Her death is a loss to the NHS for her kindness and compassion and sheer determination."

It’s believed that if Zoe had received antibiotics earlier—around 10 hours before her passing—her life could have been saved.

The student nurse was in the waiting room for 12 hours Getty Stock

Karen Bonner, Chief Nurse of Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust, shared a heartfelt statement following Zoe’s death.

"We were extremely saddened by the death of Zoe Bell and our thoughts and deepest sympathy are with her family and loved ones. Such a tragic death of a young person at the start of her nursing career has deeply affected many colleagues at the Trust, especially those who had the privilege to work with Zoe. We are unable to comment any further at this stage as we are awaiting the outcome of the coroner's investigation."