THE medical condition that killed a new mum could have been diagnosed hours earlier, an inquest has heard.

Amy Kimmance, 39, died two days after giving birth at Winchester's Royal Hampshire County Hospital on December 21, 2007.

The inquest into her death yesterday (Thursday) heard that blood test results - revealing she was suffering from septicaemia - were available to doctors at 2.13pm on December 22.

But the hospital's laboratory did not tell clinicians of the abnormal results, meaning Mrs Kimmance was not diagnosed until 4pm.

Emma Torbe, a senior house officer at the hospital, said: "I was unable to check the results any earlier than I did."

Dr Torbe had been in theatre with another patient but said that if the results had been called through to the ward another on-call doctor could have been summoned.

Ian Trinder, who processed Mrs Kimmance's blood sample, said: "I did not ring these results through [to doctors on the ward] as I should have, as per policy, because I had other urgent requests waiting in reception."

Asked whether this delay in diagnosis would have saved Mrs Kimmance, Dr Stephen Wimbush, who works in the hospital's anaesthetics department, said: "Whether the difference of one hour would have made any difference I cannot say but it would be my opinion that it would not have.

"The speed of deterioration suggests that I don't believe anything would have changed that outcome but it's impossible to say with any certainty."

Later in the day Amy's widower, John Kimmance, spoke of his late wife's pain a day before she died.

He said: "She described it as a contracting pain and the both of us presumed it was an after labour pain linked to the breastfeeding."

Mrs Kimmance had been identified as being a likely sufferer of post birth pain - she had endured similar problems after the delivery of her second child.

He added: "The previous pains were quite severe but nothing like the ones she had on that morning for the third child."

As well as post-labour pain, the inquest heard that doctors had also diagnosed constipation. It was only when they received her blood test results and saw her rapidly deteriorate that they realised she was suffering from septicaemia.

Mrs Kimmance's inquest - and that of Jasmine Pickett, who died a day later following complications from the same Group A streptococcal infection - is set to be concluded at Hampshire County Council's council chamber today (Friday).