Mum seeks answers as daughter's body kept in morgue

Susan Hodgetts said every day that passes without knowing what happened to her daughter was "unbearable"

A "distraught" mother says she wants "answers" because her daughter's body has been kept in a morgue for three weeks due to a lack of pathologists.

Zoe Loudon-Godfrey, 50, died from a possible heart attack and the family is now awaiting a post-mortem examination.

Her mother, Susan Hodgetts, said she was still in the dark about the cause of her daughter's death.

A spokesman for Somerset Council, which is responsible for the coroner's office, apologised for the delay.

After publication, the BBC was told the post-mortem examination would go ahead on 31 May.

Mrs Loudon-Godfrey was one of the first female train drivers to work in Bristol for Virgin Cross Country.

She had only recently passed an occupational medical assessment before she became breathless on 7 May and was rushed to hospital in an ambulance.

Ms Loudon-Godfrey worked for Virgin Cross Country and "had a passion for driving trains"

After being discharged the next day back to her holiday home in Porlock, Somerset, she collapsed on 9 May.

An ambulance crew carried out CPR before she was airlifted back to Musgrove Park Hospital.

Ms Hodgetts, from Bournemouth, said: "Zoe was put on life support on 10 May as her brain was swollen.

"[The doctor] said the life-support machine isn't doing anything for her and we don't think she's actually alive. It's just the machine doing the breathing for her."

Hospital staff told Ms Hodgetts they believed her daughter may have suffered a heart attack but medics could not give an official cause of death until a post-mortem examination had been carried out.

This would usually be carried out by a pathologist but Somerset currently has reduced pathologist capacity in one of its areas which is causing some delays.

Ms Loudon-Godfrey was just 50 when she collapsed and was put on life support

"My daughter's been lying in the morgue for three weeks and [they are] not giving me any answers," said Ms Hodgetts.

"I was just distraught today because every day now it's getting more and more unbearable.

"I just imagine her lying there."

Somerset Council said: "We extend our sincere condolences and sympathies to the family and apologise for the delay they have experienced at what is always a very difficult time.

"Pressure on pathology services is an issue affecting many areas of the country and in part is caused by the numbers of pathologists entering the profession and balancing other medical work with undertaken post mortems."

According to a report by the Royal College of Pathologists, in many places, NHS employers often do not appreciate the importance of coronial autopsy work and would prefer their pathologists to prioritise living patients.

Pathologists report that their work is often under-appreciated and that autopsy practice is not seen as a highly-skilled job.

The council said it is looking at options to address staff shortages in the short and long term by identifying other pathologists that may be willing and able to undertake work within the Somerset area.

Somerset NHS Foundation Trust has declined to comment.