Posted on 8 December 2010

NHS trust heavily criticised by widow of cancer victim

Read time: 2 minutes

The widow of a man who died at a Leeds hospital said her husband was treated as a “guinea pig” by hospital staff.

Neville Bairstow died at St James’s Hospital in Leeds last July and though suffering from advanced liver cancer, his widow Christine believes that the actions of the hospital robbed her of precious time with him. She claims that a doctor, who she wants to be identified, ordered her husband to go for a scan despite already knowing Mr Bairstow’s condition and despite the fact that he was too weak to move.

Mrs Bairstow also alleges that staff had admitted in a meeting with her that they had known the extent of her husband’s disease for several days but had not informed her that he was dying. She said that this robbed her of precious time with him as she would have been with him 24 hours a day had she known how ill he was.

Mrs Bairstow said she is considering taking legal action against Gledhow Wing at the hospital and will report the matter to the Patients Association and the Parliamentary Ombudsman.

A spokesman for Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust said: “We have already sincerely apologised to Mrs Bairstow and her familyin a detailed response to their concerns, includingsetting out significant changes we have madeto the respiratory admissions system on the ward. Wefully acknowledge thishas been a very distressing time for the Bairstow family.”