The tragic death of a much-loved primary school teacher with a “beautiful soul” could have been avoided, hospital bosses admit.

Megan Williams died suddenly at her home in School Road, Acrise, near Folkestone, just days after first suffering from severe abdominal pain.

Doctors at the William Harvey Hospital in Ashford believed she had gastritis - but she was in fact suffering from a bowel obstruction caused by previous surgery to remove her appendix.

It was this undiagnosed issue that ultimately led to the death of the 40-year-old, who was described as “simply the best of all of us” by devastated colleagues at Cheriton Primary School.

The chief executive of the East Kent Hospitals Trust has since said she is “deeply sorry” for the failings in Ms Williams’ care.

An inquest into the mother-of-one’s death was held at County Hall in Maidstone on Tuesday.

The coroner heard Ms Williams first fell ill on the evening of May 1 last year. By 3am the following morning, she was violently vomiting and was taken by ambulance to the William Harvey.

Her pain levels fluctuated while in hospital, ranging from a five to a 10 on the scale used by medical professionals.

She was discharged the same day, having been diagnosed with gastritis – an inflammation of the stomach lining.

Ms Williams was sick again at about 4pm as she was leaving hospital. However, this episode was not recorded in medical documents - something which clinicians later said would have changed their approach had it been known at the time.

She was taken back to hospital two days later, having to be carried by ambulance crews as she continued to struggle with abdominal pain.

Given her recent discharge, the teacher should have been seen by a specialist team - but this did not happen.

“The trust accepts that there were failings in Megan’s care which amount to breaches of duty and but for those failings Megan’s death would have been avoided...”

She is believed to have self-discharged after failing to be seen and left at 1am on May 5. It is not clear whether or not she was fully aware of the danger of doing so.

Two hours later, Ms Williams was sick at home and became breathless at 7.30am. Thirty minutes later, she suddenly sat up and declared she needed to be sick again.

At this point, she collapsed and lost consciousness. Her family and ambulance crews spent more than two hours trying to revive her before she was pronounced dead at 9.58am.

A post-mortem examination found Ms Williams died from aspiration pneumonia, a small bowel obstruction and a strangulated internal hernia due to band adhesions from intra-abdominal surgery.

Aspiration pneumonia is an infection of the lungs that can be caused by inhaling saliva, food or stomach contents.

The coroner reviewed a collection of evidence linked to Ms Williams’ death before reaching a conclusion, including a letter signed by the trust’s chief executive, Tracey Fletcher, which was given to lawyers representing the family.

Signed March 17 this year, the document admits that following investigations, Ms Williams’ death could have been prevented.

Ms Fletcher wrote: “The trust accepts that there were failings in Megan’s care which amount to breaches of duty and but for those failings Megan’s death would have been avoided.

“While there can be no doubt that everyone caring for Megan thought at the time they were doing what was best for her, it is clear with the benefit of hindsight that there were aspects of her care we did not get right.

“For that, I am deeply sorry.”

The inquest would also hear how chances to give Ms Williams a CT scan were missed. However, it was not evident this would have definitely helped and this was deemed to be a clinical decision.

The fluctuation in Megan’s pain scale has been linked to part of her bowel becoming stuck in scar tissue, repeatedly detaching and reattaching itself.

Coroner James Dylan summarised that there was a lack of knowledge among clinicians about the “pathway” for patients with acute abdominal pain.

He said Ms Williams should have been placed back in the care of the discharge team and added there was no evidence she signed any paperwork to discharge herself.

Mr Dylan delivered a narrative conclusion while delaying any decision on whether or not a report to help prevent further deaths would be commissioned.

“There is going to be a big gap in our lives now, but your legacy and influence will remain undiminished on everyone...”

He said: “If I am to report a narrative conclusion, then I must abide by the principles of this being a brief, neutral, factual statement and that it should not express any judgement or opinion.

“It was not suggested by any interested person that I make a finding of neglect, nor do I consider it appropriate to do so.

“Megan Williams died on May 5, 2022, at her home.

“She died as a result of an undiagnosed small bowel obstruction, apparently caused by band adhesions from previous intra-abdominal surgery.

“She had attended hospital twice, on both occasions by ambulance – on May 2 when she was discharged with suspected gastritis, and May 4, when she self-discharged in the early hours of the following morning and returned home when she died.”

Born in Ashford on January 5, 1982, Ms Williams graduated from the University of Bristol in 2003 with a first-class honours degree before going on to travel across Europe.

A charity marathon runner, she went on to study at Canterbury Christ Church University - receiving her teaching qualifications in 2013 - and gave birth to her son in 2019.

She also worked in the USA helping clean up after the Hurricane Katrina catastrophe in 2005.

Writing on an online tribute page, a colleague called Jess said: “She was the kindest and most genuinely compassionate person I have ever had the privilege of calling my colleague and friend.

“To see Megan teach was magical. The whole room lit up and both adults and children were equally mesmerised by her passion and love of learning.

“That is rare and beautiful to find in a teacher and Megan just had it!.

“The world is a much poorer place without Megan. I feel privileged to have known her and she will forever be missed.”

Another tribute was paid by Ian, Claire and Angie Hotham, who said Ms Williams had “left such a void in the lives of everyone who knew you”.

They added: “Your warm, caring, vivacious, sparkling nature, interwoven into your love for family and friends.

“Your zest for life was evident, you spoke with such fervour that inspired and captivated those around you.”

Glyn Williams, Megan’s brother, said: “My beautiful, amazing sister. It is so hard to accept that you are gone.

“There is going to be a big gap in our lives now, but your legacy and influence will remain undiminished on everyone.”

In a statement issued after the inquest, East Kent Hospitals’ chief executive Tracey Fletcher told KentOnline: “We accept and are deeply sorry for the failings in Megan’s care.

“We have made significant improvements to the way we respond when a patient discharges themselves, including working more closely with patients around their understanding of self-discharge and reviewing all patients who reattend the emergency department within 48 hours for the same complaint and working with partners to provide more support in the community.”