THE chief executive of Lancashire Teaching Hospitals has admitted there were 'serious omissions' in the care of a Preston woman who died after an operation.

In a letter to the dead patient's daughter, the trust's chief executive Tony Curtis has apologised to the family of Moreen Goring who died following a routine hip replacement operation.

Regarding the standard of care Mrs Goring received while a patient at Chorley Hospital, Mr Curtis's letter describes comments made by her surgeon Jaysheel Mehta as 'rude and insensitive' when talking to her family about medical procedures.

It continues: 'I find the attitude of Mr Mehta and the medical staff to have fallen below the standards we would expect and that the treatment of you and your father was disgraceful.'

But in the letter to Mrs Goring's daughter Linda Wilson, 44, Mr Curtis said lessons will be learnt from her 79-year-old mother's case which he describes as 'examples of bad practice in both clinical and communication'.

He states: "We will ensure that lessons are learnt from this and whilst it is impossible to judge whether any action could have prevented the sad outcome, we have to recognise that it might have."

Mr Curtis's correspondence follows a formal complaint to the trust by Mrs Wilson, from London, following the death of her mother, a former dinner lady at Fulwood High School, on January 2, after a tear in her artery occurred during her operation.

An inquest on February 20, at Preston Coroner's Court, heard how the tear caused excessive bleeding and, ultimately, resulted in her death three days later.

Coroner Howard McCann described the operation as a 'medical mishap' at the inquest when he recorded a verdict of death by misadventure.

But Mrs Wilson believed there were too many questions left unanswered about her mother's death and since then has written numerous letters to the trust asking for explanations to matters not covered by the inquest.

She said: "Although Mr Curtis has admitted shortcomings in the care of my mother I'm disappointed with the outcome.

She is now seeking legal advice.

Surgeon Mr Mehta no longer works at Chorley Hospital although Mr Curtis's letter states: 'Mr Mehta does accept some of the shortcomings and I have ensured that he receives a copy of my response.'

However Mr Mehta said: "I have not received a copy of the letter. I am therefore not able to comment on its contents but do not accept that I was rude. I would also like to say that my thoughts are with Mrs Goring's family."

In response Mr Curtis said: "The trust stands by the letter as there were shortcomings by the staff involved."

He added: "We have conducted a major investigation into the events surrounding Mrs Goring's tragic death following a rare complication during hip replacement surgery. The findings of this investigation have been made available to Mrs Goring's family in my comprehensive letter.

"Following the rare complication there were some serious shortcomings in the aftercare that Mrs Goring received. The actions to address these issues have been explained to the family in full. We would like to send our sincere sympathies to her family for their sad loss and apologise once again."