A MOTHER of four died after she was given three doses of morphine for a bad headache, an inquest heard.

Louise McKenzie, 28, had taken ecstasy the night before she started to complain that her head hurt.

She stopped breathing while she was being given a scan at King's Mill Hospital, Mansfield.

It took 11 minutes for a crash team to be called to revive her after a communication system in the hospital failed.

She was transferred to the Queen's Medical Centre and pronounced dead the next day, August 5, 2007.

The inquest at Nottingham Coroner's Court heard Mrs McKenzie, of Gwent in Wales, was originally from Hucknall and had returned for a visit.

She had gone out with and old school friend and they had bought ecstasy in Cucamara bar in the city.

They took one-and-a-half pills and went to Rock City.

Next day Mrs McKenzie complained of severe headaches and returned to her grandparents' home in Hucknall.

They called a paramedic who gave her morphine before she was taken to hospital at about 3.15pm, where she was given two more doses of the drug within 40 minutes.

Mrs McKenzie's grandmother, Nora Kirk stayed with her grand-daughter until she was taken for the CT scan. She said: "She told the doctor [at hospital] it was pain level ten.

"After the second dose of morphine she closed her eyes. She never spoke again after the second dose."

Mrs Kirk said her granddaughter told doctors she had problems with headaches.

She told the inquest, which is continuing, that no one asked if Mrs McKenzie had taken any drugs and no one stayed with them after giving her each dose of morphine.

But Dr James Law said he did ask if she had taken drugs and she said no. He said he told nurses to "observe her" after the second dose of morphine.

He said he didn't expect someone to stay by her side but admitted as he had only worked in the department for two full days he didn't know what form the observation would take.

Mrs McKenzie was taken for a CT scan about 25 minutes later.

Radiographer Claire Kimmett said the scan would have only taken about a minute and then she told staff they could go back in the room. However, no one went in.

She phoned the consultant who was viewing the scan elsewhere and was asked to do another because Mrs McKenzie's head was tilted. She said: "I went back in to straighten Louise's head and that's when I found her not breathing and a purple colour."

Healthcare worker Philip Baker tried to call the crash team using the voice recognition communication system but this did not work and Ms Kimmett ran out to raise the alarm by telephone.

Paul Balen, representing Mrs McKenzie's family, said the scan took place at 6.39pm and the crash team was not called until 6.50pm.

Mrs Kirk said: "The doctor came and said Louise had had a reaction to morphine and they had put her on a life support machine and she would be on it for two days. They said it was to let her body heal."

The cause of death was a swelling of the brain caused by a lack of oxygen.