Norwich mother's sickle cell pain 'ridiculed' before death, inquest hears

An inquest has heard that a 32-year-old Norwich mother with sickle cell disease faced "ridicule" from hospital staff when seeking urgent pain relief before her death in January. Veronique Mwembo died after a cardiac arrest linked to incorrectly self-administered medication. Mwembo, who lived with the genetic condition all her life, was being treated at Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital for bacterial infections. Her family said front-line A&E staff lacked training to recognise her pain as "real, severe and clinically urgent," with her brother reporting she was called a "frequent flyer" and had waited up to six hours for pain relief, against NHS guidance recommending 30 minutes. Born in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Mwembo moved to the UK in 2006 after fleeing civil war. The coroner gave a narrative conclusion that incorrect administration of tablet-form medicines damaged her blood vessels, leading to cardiac arrest. Her family called for greater awareness to break down stigma around sickle cell disease.