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A GRIEVING daughter believes her mother would still be alive if she had been admitted to hospital following a severe asthma attack.
Lorraine Stiff told a Bury St Edmunds inquest she was shocked to learn that her mother Patricia Leach was sent home to Eden Road, Haverhill, with steroids and a nebuliser only hours after she was fighting for her life.
Bill Walrond, the West Suffolk Coroner, recorded a verdict of death by natural causes and ruled there was no lack of care by Dr Andrew Cornish of Christmas Maltings Surgery.
"I think Dr Cornish was doing his honest and conscientious best and I don't think there could be any lack of care or neglect added to my verdict," Mr Walrond said.
But Mrs Stiff, of Felixstowe, said she was unhappy with the verdict and believed her mother would still be alive if she had been admitted to hospital earlier.
She added if she had known about her mother's attack she would never have let her spend her last night on her own.
"My main concern is that an old lady who lived on her own turned up at the doctor's after almost dying in the night and was sent home with a nebuliser which she had forgotten how to use.
"She was terrified, she really thought she was going to die that night ­ why wasn't she put in hospital?
"There was no-one to help her raise the alarm if she had another attack. She wouldn't have been able to do it herself because she couldn't breathe or speak," Mrs Stiff said.
Now she is to raise her concerns with Suffolk Health Authority.
Dr Cornish told the inquest he was saddened to learn of Mrs Leach's death on July 3.
"My assessment on that day was that she should be treated as she had for previous attacks.
"She was given steroids, loaned a nebuliser and advised to let us know if her condition did not improve. One would have considered hospital admission later on that evening if things had not improved," Dr Cornish said.
Mrs Leach's friend John Collis told the inquest he found her dead the morning after her visit to the surgery.
She had rung him the night before, sounding well and saying she felt a lot better and hoped to get a good night's sleep.