Father calls for more overnight staff after daughter's hospital death

The father of a 14 year old girl who died after an operation at Bristol Children's Hospital has called for more staff to be on duty overnight.

An inquest heard that Emma Welch, from Chlicompton, suffered internal bleeding after an operation to correct the curvature of her spine.

Surgeons were forced to operate in a ward - at one point using a torch - because there was no operating theatre available.

Emma Welch devoted much of her short life to charity. - despite her own serious medical condition.

She raised £13 thousand pounds for brain tumour research through a sponsored climb and a Teddy Bears picnic on Mount Snowden - days before a major operation.

Just a week later she was dead.

The 14 year old from Chilcompton suffered serious internal bleeding after an operation here at Bristol Children's hospital to correct her curvature of the spine.

An inquest heard how in the early hours of the morning staff had given her emergency surgery on the ward - with the help of a torch - because both operating theatres were in use.

Her father Tony described the moment he realised something was wrong:

Frantic efforts to save Emma failed and she died at 3.40 a.m.

Her father is asking whether there should be more round the clock emergency cover.

It's understood the hospital had appropriate staff on duty and uses two operating theatres overnight.

The decision to treat Emma on the ward was in the hope of keeping her stable until it one became free.

Emma's memory will live on - with her family planning two attempts on world crocheting records on June the 4th - the anniversary of her death.

There's also a fundraising page in her memory.