Heart tragedy of Russells Hall Hospital nurse, 31, who died in sleep

Stephanie Clift, aged 31, a popular member of staff on the Georgina cancer unit at Dudley's Russells Hall Hospital, had been diagnosed with an irregular heartbeat and had problems controlling her weight and smoking.

Her brother Mark, aged 34, had to break into her house and found her dead after the family became concerned when she did not respond to phone calls.

Miss Clift's heartbroken mother, Patricia Clift, said: "In my own mind I had an idea her death was down to this irregular heartbeat.

"I put it down to the strain of her job and of losing her dad."

Miss Clift's father Alexander died in April 2012 from complications of diabetes at the age of 64.

On December 9, Miss Clift, of Cradley, who had been diagnosed with the irregular heartbeat, known as arrhythmia, as a child, was found dead in her bed.

Mrs Clift, of Inkberrow Road in Halesowen, said she had spent the previous evening with her daughter, sharing a meal, a chat and watching TV.

She described the clinical support worker as 'tired' and said she had needed a 20-minute nap during the evening but had 'livened up' later.

Mrs Clift added: "With the irregular heartbeat she had and the hours she worked at the hospital, she always seemed a bit tired."

Miss Clift had worked at the hospital for almost three years and often covered 12 hour shifts, her mother said. Despite this, she loved her job and had saved enough to put down a deposit on her own flat, moving in during June 2011.

When Stephanie left her mother on December 9 about 10.15pm, she was reminded to return early for Sunday lunch the following day.

Mrs Clift recalled: "She said 'I'm off now mum' and I said 'bye, sweet, see you tomorrow' and that was the last I heard from her."

When Miss Clift failed to show up at 12.30pm the next day, her mother got worried, thinking she might have fallen and hurt herself on the steep stairs in her flat. She sent her eldest son Mark around to check things.

He had to use a screwdriver to get into the house and when he went into his sister's room he found her dead on the bed still wearing her nightclothes. Her alarm had gone off at 10am and various texts were unanswered on her phone.

Black Country coroner Robin Balmain, recording a verdict of natural causes, said the death was due to unexpected cardiac arrest caused by arrhythmia.

After the inquest, Mrs Clift said: "Stephanie loved her job and thought a great deal of her colleagues.

"She was a homely type really and she looked after me after my husband died."

Paula Clark, chief executive of Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trust, said: "She was a valued and respected member of the team on the Georgina Unit and so well liked by both staff and patients. She is very much missed."

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