Nurses at Goodmayes Hospital did not respond "with the necessary urgency" to the condition of a patient who died there, a coroner has said.

Mary Nwanonyiri, 33, died on April 19 last year after a cardiac arrest, an inquest concluded.

East London area coroner Nadia Persaud has now sent a prevention of future deaths report to North East London NHS Foundation Trust (NELFT), which runs the hospital, containing concerns relating to the case.

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She said numerous nurses "failed to recognise" the severity of Mary's condition on the morning of her death.

Ms Persaud wrote: "They did not respond to her very concerning clinical state with the necessary urgency."

It follows the inquest into Mary's death, conducted before a jury, which ended last month.

A narrative conclusion found Mary's health declined whilst she was at the hospital.

It says: "Had there been evidence of physical observations, this may have prevented her sudden decline. The absence of a care plan contributed to her death."

A NELFT spokesperson said it has conducted a "thorough" investigation into Mary's care and "will take any further actions to improve the service".

Ms Persaud's report said Mary was admitted to the hospital on April 9 2021 after a deterioration in her mental health.

NELFT provides mental health services for Barking and Dagenham, Havering, Redbridge and Waltham Forest residents.

Mary was found unresponsive in her room on April 19 and had "largely" declined medication and observations during her stay, Ms Persaud wrote.

Post-mortem investigations found she died because of Covid-19 but an expert witness "was unable to fully explain the apparent rapid decline in Mary’s physical condition", the coroner added.

Senior nurses who gave evidence at the inquest "did not appear to appreciate the importance of an agreed comprehensive care plan", according to Ms Persaud.

She added: "There was no clear evidence of assessment of Mary’s capacity to refuse physical observations."

Ms Persaud has told NELFT it should take action to prevent future deaths.

A NELFT spokesperson said: "We wish to offer our heartfelt condolences to Mary’s family, friends and loved ones.

"The trust has co-operated fully with the coroner's inquest.

"The trust has reflected upon the learning identified at internal investigation and at the coroner's inquest."

NELFT "is committed to ongoing improvement of the services it provides", the spokesperson added.