A prison inmate died after hospital medics missed chances to diagnose her, an inquest has found.

Pamela Bleakley, 28, collapsed in her cell in Styal Prison, near Wilmslow, after repeatedly complaining of headaches.

She died on April 26, 2011, as a result of an aneurysm and a brain haemorrhage.

A jury at Macclesfield town hall heard that Pamela had collapsed twice over the previous four weeks – and that had she been taken to hospital any time in the month before her death ‘it is likely she would have been successfully diagnosed and treated’.

The hearing heard a statement from a fellow inmate who said that Pamela, from Bolton,  had complained that she was ‘fobbed off’ by hospital staff when she complained of headaches. She was given paracetamol and told she may need glasses.

Pamela was serving an 18-month sentence for robbery and theft and was described during the hearing as a ‘model prisoner’.

In their narrative verdict, the jury pointed to ‘inadequate access and review’ of her medical history. They drew particular attention to an appointment with a doctor on the afternoon of April 11 – which they said ‘should have prompted further medical investigation resulting in possible hospital referral’.

Speaking after the hearing, lawyer Zak Golombeck, of Pannone, said Pamela’s family were considering taking legal action against the authorities – including the prison service and East Cheshire NHS Trust, who run medical care in Styal Prison.

He added: “Pamela’s family hope that lessons will be learned and that the failing in systems and care given to Pamela, as well as the interaction between the prison and health professionals, have been corrected.”

A spokesman for East Cheshire NHS Trust said ‘at this stage’ there would be no action taken ‘against any trust staff involved in Ms Bleakley’s care’.