THE daughter of a 69-year-old woman who died after waiting on a hospital trolley for seven hours has criticised health chiefs for failing her mother.

Doreen Murphy, of Brambles Farm, Middlesbrough, died after being taken to James Cook University Hospital following the wait at Middlesbrough General Hospital's casualty department.

Now, daughter Kathleen Dixon, 43, wants South Tees Hospitals NHS Trust to explain why her mother had to wait so long to be transferred to what was formerly known as South Cleveland Hospital.

"I need a lot of answers," she said. "The morning my mum went into the general was not busy. Why wasn't she taken to South Cleveland immediately? If mum had gone to South Cleveland she'd be alive."

Mrs Murphy had been recovering from radiotherapy treatment for cancer.

Mrs Dixon had phoned for an ambulance after spotting blood in a feeding tube fitted into her mother's stomach.

"We got to the General and the doctor looked at her and said she'd phone for a bed at South Cleveland," said Mrs Dixon, of Coltman Street, North Ormesby.

Mrs Dixon said her mother was left on a trolley until a bed became available at 3.20pm - seven hours after they had arrived.

The grandmother-of-ten died eight hours after arriving by ambulance at the James Cook hospital, on October 29.

She died from internal bleeding caused by an ulcer.

"My mum was not ready to go," said Mrs Dixon.

Nick Patton, deputy chief executive of South Tees Hospitals NHS Trust, said the reasons behind the delay were still unknown.

"We have been experiencing an increase in emergency admissions through accident and emergency, which has put increased pressure on the hospital services," he said