A grieving widow has spoken of her agonising wait for answers, more than five months after her husband's death. Michael Collins passed away on Thursday, June 9, of a suspected cardiac arrest after collapsing at his home in Bulwell.
Karen Collins, Michael's widow, says on that evening Michael began asking her if they had anything in the house for indigestion, but the couple called for an ambulance soon after as Michael was struggling with chest pains. Karen, who is retired but formerly worked at QMC as an administrative assistant at the eye clinic, was told there would be a two-hour wait for an ambulance, so the couple decided they were going to get a taxi to the hospital.
Michael made his way upstairs to get dressed, but shortly after he went, Karen says she heard "the biggest bang on the floor" and found her husband had collapsed. She again called 999 and an ambulance arrived within five minutes.
Michael was taken to the QMC and later Nottingham City Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Karen says she "already knew he was gone."
Michael's body was released a month after he died and he was buried on July 8, yet Karen is still waiting on her husband's death certificate to be issued. The couple were married for 47 years.
A spokesperson for the Nottingham City and Nottinghamshire Coroners Service explained that there have been no unusual delays in relation to registering the death of Mr Collins. An investigation is ongoing.
Recalling the night of Michael's death, Karen said: "I feel as though I'm being punished now because I'm making a fuss trying to get it. As soon as I spoke to the coroner's assistant on October 21 they said it'll be up to another 12 weeks.
"There's not really much you can do more than getting in touch with them. It is stressful.
"It was Thursday, June 9, when he said to me 'have we got anything for indigestion' so I went and got it. When I came back up I heard him say 'ambulance' so he must've phoned 999.
"I can't remember exactly what happened but he passed me the phone. So they said 'does he need an ambulance?'
"I asked him, because I can drive, but I think he was worried about something happening while I was driving. He said 'no, we'll wait for an ambulance.'
"So she told us it was going to take two hours. I told them well he had chest pains.
"In the end, he said we're going to get a taxi, I'm just going to get dressed. And then I heard the biggest bang on the floor and he collapsed.
"When I checked his heart had stopped, so I started CPR on him. I already took the phone from downstairs and unlocked the door for when the ambulance came.
"I knew he'd gone. I phoned 999 again and they said they'd be five minutes, which they were.
"They were great when they got there. They got his heart started again and we went down to the QMC.
"And then they blue lighted him over to the city. At the hospital they tried everything, I know they did, but I knew he'd already gone anyway."
Karen says that she asked whether he husband could have survived if the initial 999 wait time of two hours for an ambulance was shorter. Michael also previously worked as a miner, and
"I asked whether it would have made a difference if the ambulance got there. He said he couldn't tell me but he'd put it in the report.
"Then he told me that he had to have a post-mortem, with all the things that had gone wrong. When the coroners assistant phoned she said we have to take some samples from Michael, because he used to be a miner.
They said well it could be nine weeks. I said that's alright, it's not going to make any difference to him now.
"But if it carries on another three months it's going to be nearly nine months. All the family are asking if we've got the certificate yet, and it's just making me more annoyed.
"I couldn't bury him for a month, and they released the body after a month. So if there was anything they needed to check surely that would've been done before they released the body."
A spokesperson for Nottingham City and Nottinghamshire Coroners Service said: "We understand this is taking longer than Mrs Collins had hoped, but we have explained to her that there have been no unusual delays in relation to registering the death of her husband. When HM Coroner investigates a death, the death cannot be registered immediately.
"The Registrar of Births and Deaths must wait for HM Coroner to complete the investigation before the death can be registered. Following receipt of the final post mortem examination report, HM Coroner instructed further investigations and we await reports in relation to these enquiries.
"HM Coroner has a duty to investigate all circumstances that may have caused or contributed to the death. Once reports are received, a decision will be made as to whether HM Coroner shall hold an inquest or end her involvement. The family have been fully appraised and will be further updated in due course."
East Midlands Ambulance Service (EMAS) has been approached for comment.
READ NEXT:
Nottingham estate has 'turned a corner' after decades of crime
Ukrainian refugees in Nottingham want to 'give and not take' with help from famous chef
Shoppers in Bulwell open up on the big changes they've made to deal with food price rises
Shoppers say Home Bargains is 'perfect' shop to replace Argos in Bulwell
Nottingham's 'picturesque' suburb that's filled with trees and perfect for taking walks
