A WORCESTER woman died nearly a month after taking an overdose of painkillers and mixing it with alcohol in a desperate "cry for help".

Frances Hope, known as Mandy, was discovered slumped on the settee of her home in Crown Street, Barbourne, by her mother-in-law on Thursday, November 23, last year, but was not taken to hospital until two days later when she began to look jaundiced.

An inquest at Kidderminster yesterday heard her mother-in-law Ita had discovered two empty paracetamol packets, an empty bottle of sherry and a half-drunk bottle of whisky on the floor beside her daughter-in-law.

Mrs Hope said that, at the time, she did not think the 31-year-old had taken an overdose, but instead thought she was extremely drunk so took her home to recover.

It was not until the Saturday, when she noticed her daughter-in-law's skin turning yellow, that she was taken to Worcester A&E.

From there she was transferred to Birmingham's Queen Elizabeth Hospital where she underwent a liver transplant.

But she died on Monday, December 18, from multi-organ failure brought on by complications caused by prolonged ventilation.

The inquest heard Mandy Hope suffered mental problems and was traumatised over the fact she had knocked down and killed an eight-year-old child in a car accident several years before.

Her husband Paul, a firefighter, described her as "desperately ill in the mind" and said six months before her death, she had begun drinking heavily.

She was also on mild anti-depressants, valium and drugs to help with her drink problem.

He told the inquest she had threatened to take an overdose before, a statement backed up by her work colleagues, but he did not believe she had carried it through, even though the empty paracetamol packets were found.

Mandy Hope's family questioned yesterday why it had taken so long for her to be taken to hospital.

They also said that, as a Catholic, she had very strong religious views and they found it difficult to believe she had taken her own life.

They were not present when she died, and claimed they were not informed by her husband she had been taken to hospital.

Worcestershire Coroner Victor Round told the inquest it was possible if medical attention had been sought earlier, the outcome may have been different.

He said there was a strong possibility not even Mandy Hope knew what she was doing at the time of her death and it was a desperate cry for help which had gone wrong.

He recorded an open verdict.