Nurse tells inquest she should have called an ambulance

Jackie Chatterton was talking to Southampton hospital manager Nicholas Ginger when they both made a light-hearted reference to him "popping his clogs".

Minutes later, Mr Ginger suffered a bleed on the brain and died a few days later.

His exchange with Miss Chatterton took place during a video call arranged to discuss the suitability of him returning from sick leave.

Giving evidence at an inquest into his death, the nurse said she was typing up her notes of their conversation when she realised her patient was no longer on the screen.

Mr Ginger, 65, from Shirley, had a history of heart trouble and high blood pressure.

Nicholas Ginger was a manager at University Hospital Southampton (Image: Newsquest)

Miss Chatterton said she feared he might have "taken her remark to heart" and was worried about the possibility of being too ill to return to work at University Hospital Southampton.

"He told me he loved his job and was looking forward to going back. He told me his blood clots had disappeared and he was becoming more mobile.

"I told him 'I don't want you to pop your clogs, Nick' and he replied 'I don't want me to pop my clogs either, Jackie'. We both laughed."

READ MORE: Southampton hospital manager 'left to die' after collapsing during video call, inquest told

After Mr Ginger disappeared from view she asked him if he was capable of calling an ambulance or contacting his family if he needed to. He replied "Yes, Jackie," the inquest was told.

Miss Chatterton said: "I thought he had moved away from the screen because he was upset.

"I hadn't seen or heard anything that made me think he was struggling physically. His responses did not give any indication that he had immediate concerns.

"I asked him if he was OK and he said he was."

But Mr Ginger had told Miss Chatterton that his blood pressure reading that day was 215 over 129, which area coroner Rosamund Rhodes-Kemp described as "pretty much an emergency situation".

The inquest into Mr Ginger's death is being held at Winchester Coroner's Court (Image: Newsquest)

Miss Chatterton admitted that the figure was "critically high".

The coroner said the nurse's theory surrounding Mr Ginger's sudden absence from her screen "doesn't really stack up" and asked her if she should have called an ambulance.

She replied: "With hindsight, yes.

"I feel devastated, but at the time there was absolutely nothing to give me reason to call an ambulance. We were talking, he called me by my name, and everything he said was in keeping. At no point did I think he had collapsed."

The inquest also heard from Christine Lawrence, who was lead nurse in occupational therapy at the hospital at the time.

Ms Lawrence denied that she and Miss Chatterton had argued over who should call an ambulance.

She told the hearing: "Jackie never actually said he had collapsed. There was no discussion about me calling an ambulance."

Ms Lawrence only learned that Mr Ginger had died when she called his mobile phone and the call was answered by his daughter. "I was completely shocked because I wasn't expecting that at all," she said.

The inquest is expected to end on Wednesday.