A 16-year-old girl from Bristol has died from suspected meningitis, two days after being discharged from hospital.

Isabel Gentry, 16, was taken to Bristol Royal Infirmary by ambulance, after feeling unwell, where she was treated by accident and emergency staff and placed under a five-hour observation.

After Isabel's symptoms appeared to have improved, she was discharged from hospital and allowed home under advice that she should seek medical attention if her symptoms returned.

Isabel was readmitted to hospital later the same day after her condition deteriorated. Doctors recognised her symptoms as characteristic of meningitis, however, she died two days later.

The Avon Coroner's Court confirmed that an inquest into the teenager's death will open shortly, however, University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust says that they believe both "assessment and treatment were appropriate" since Isabel's symptoms were not typical of meningitis on initial assessment.

Meningitis is the inflammation or infection of the membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord. It affects more than 3,000 people in the UK every year.

Madeleine Pinschof, a senior medical negligence solicitor at Thompsons Solicitors' Bristol office said: “The pressure on NHS staff in general and A&E staff in particular is immense. While specific details surrounding Isabel's death remain unclear at this time, a thorough investigation into the assessment and treatment she received before her death will hopefully establish the causes of such a critical delay, and ensure that staff are supported and have the resources to avoid tragic cases of misdiagnosis in the future.”