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‘It made me feel as if I had killed her’

2/11/2005

TWO daughters were accused of 'just short of murder' when they asked for a second opinion about their sick mother.

The comments were made in a letter written from surgeon Martin Cooper-Wilson to another surgeon about the care of June Atkins who died in Tameside Hospital last year.

But it was only after her death that daughters Susan McGahey and Cheryl Goodwin discovered the note hidden at the back of their mother's medical notes.

"It was unbelievable - it made me feel as if I had killed her," said Susan, a district nurse. "The letter said our 'pressure for surgery' was 'just short of murder' but that wasn't the case. We never pressed for surgery, all we asked for was for something to be done. We were worried our mum was going to die."

The surgeon's letter was described by coroner John Pollard as 'appalling'.

An inquest heard how the 75-year-old was admitted to hospital in November, two weeks after a barium enema diagnosed an abscess 'the size of a fist.'

But the pensioner had to wait almost three weeks for a CT scan which failed to show up the abscess, and it was only after demanding a second opinion that a second barium enema was carried out. This confirmed the abscess and June was sent for surgery, but her condition deteriorated following the operation. She contracted septicaemia and meningitis and died on 17 December.

Susan, of Ruskin Avenue, Denton made a formal complaint about her mother's care in hospital. Mr Pollard criticised the 'inordinate amount of time' June was forced to wait for a scan.

Susan added: "We feel cheated by the verdict of natural causes. We will be seeking legal advice."

A spokesperson for Tameside Hospital said: "We note the coroner found June Atkin's death to be of natural causes and that there were no aspects of her clinical care that contributed to her death. Mr Cooper-Wilson apologised at the inquest for any offence or distress the comments contained in her case notes may have caused."

Verdict: Natural causes.