A young mum told her family her hospital visit was a “waste of time” – just hours before she was found dead in bed. Tanya McCartney, 25, attended A&E at Chesterfield Royal Infirmary with a high temperature, shortness of breath and a painful throat.

She initially believed she had caught a cold from her 11-month-old son Marcus but her GP had advised her to go to hospital. But staff failed to diagnose pneumonia which could have been treated with a course of intravenous antibiotics. Instead, medics sent her home with oral antibiotics on May 18, 2023.

When she was home, Tanya, a trainee mental health nurse, complained to her mum Natasha about her treatment saying it was “waste of time”. Tanya’s health continued to deteriorate and the next day she was found dead in bed. Her family ordered an investigation into her death which revealed the hospital failed to recognise the severity of her symptoms.

• Mum-of-five dies after eating Pret A Manger sandwich as family handed £1.25m


• Factory shuts down after 'human foetus' found on conveyor belt

Chesterfield Royal Hospital NHS Foundation Trust has since apologised for her death. The Trust admitted that if she had been received antibiotics intravenously “Tanya would have, in all probability, made a recovery”. Tanya’s heartbroken mum Natasha, who now cares from her grandson Marcus, now three, said: “Tanya has been failed in so many ways.

“This has broken my heart, and it kills me that they have admitted if only my daughter was given the care she deserved, she would still be alive. I am so angry that I have lost my daughter and that Marcus won’t ever know his mum and the lovely, funny, stubborn person she was.

“She is missed more than I can ever describe. While Marcus gives us the reason to carry on, it’s so difficult just to put one foot in front of the other every day.”

Tanya, described as a “real tomboy”, achieved her ambition of training as a mechanic, but unfortunately could not find a job. Instead, she found a role as a carer for mental health patients, and hoped to train as a mental health nurse. Natasha added: “While she did hope to be a mechanic, she was a brilliant carer, everyone loved her.

“She was so fun loving with a wicked sense of humour, just a lovely person. We clashed often, as many mothers and daughters do, but we knew how much we loved each other. Marcus was a surprise and Tanya worried so much about not being able to look after him or not being able to be a good mum - but everything clicked the second he was born.

“She was absolutely brilliant. Marcus really was the most amazing thing to happen to her.”

Tanya began to feel unwell in early May 2023, but believed it was a cold she had caught from Marcus. She decided to visit her GP on May 18, and was advised to go to Chesterfield Royal Hospital and was driven there by her grandmother.

Natasha said: “They were there for hours and when they came home, Tanya said it had been a waste of time as she still had no idea what was wrong. She went to bed, and was asleep when I went out to work the next morning.

“I didn’t want to disturb her as I hoped she would wake up feeling much better – but only a few hours later, I got a phone call from my dad saying she had passed away. Martin rang me saying the Air Ambulance had been seen near our house and wondered which of our neighbours it was for – I had to tell him it was in fact for his sister.

“We were all just absolutely broken and in disbelief. How could this have happened?”

While the hospital’s internal investigation initially concluded it was reasonable to discharge Tanya, her family noticed red flags. Natasha said: “There was something in one of the statements which really rang alarm bells – it said that Tanya had been fine and drinking from a water fountain.

“Tanya would never drink water. Even if you’d given her some paracetamol tablets with a glass of water, she wouldn’t take them until you’d put some cordial in. So something just didn’t sit right.”

The family hired negligence lawyers Slater and Gordon to investigate Tanya’s care. An inquest into Tanya’s death has been re-opened and is due to take place next year. Natasha said: “Until we’ve had the inquest and I’ve found out exactly what happened to Tanya, I can’t move on. None of us can.

“You can’t grieve properly until you know everything.”

The family's solicitor Rebecca Dowse said: “Tanya’s death was utterly avoidable and that is a devastating reality for her family to live with. But as if the loss of a precious mother, sister, daughter and granddaughter was not enough, her family have had to fight to get the answers they need and deserve around Tanya’s death – and that is absolutely unacceptable.”

Kevin Sargen, Medical Director for Chesterfield Royal Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, said: “We send our sincere condolences to Ms McCartney’s family and loved ones. We acknowledge that the care she received was not the standard that we strive for.

“Given the reopening of the inquest, it would be inappropriate for us to comment further, but we are continuing to work with HM Coroner to support their ongoing investigations into Ms McCartney’s death.”