A HEARTBROKEN Blackburn man whose wife died after hospital neglect today said he was too upset to pursue legal action.

Allan Leach, whose wife Doreen died at Queen's Park Hospital in January, spoke after an inquest recorded a verdict of accidental death aggravated by neglect.

Doreen, 72, suffered massive brain damage after being starved of oxygen for at least 15 minutes in the intensive care unit of Blackburn Royal Infirmary, but was kept alive for nine days.

Allan, of Kingsway, Lower Darwen, said: "It was inhumane. You wouldn't let them do that to a dog. I couldn't stand to see her little chest going up and down knowing she was brain dead.

"There was no possibility of her recovering and I told a doctor I could not go on seeing her like that."

Mrs Leach was transferred to Queen's Park Hospital and died on January 25 after her medication was withdrawn. The couple had been due to celebrate their golden wedding anniversary next year.

Mr Leach, 78, said: "I miss her so much. We were never apart.

"This has all been very difficult and I couldn't go through it again to take legal action against the hospital."

The inquest was told the alarm was raised after Mrs Leach unexpectedly regained consciousness and somehow removed a tube providing oxygen, possibly through a gagging reflex.

A junior doctor was first on the scene after the wrong code was transmitted and Mrs Leach had suffered a cardiac arrest by the time the consultant in intensive care, Dr Stephen Mousdale, arrived 15 minutes later.

He discovered the junior doctor had not re-inserted the oxygen line correctly and although Mrs Leach was resuscitated she had suffered extensive brain damage. Consultant Dr Mousdale would not normally have been on call, but was covering for junior staff. He accepted normal contacting procedures had gone wrong.

Recording his verdict Mr Singleton said he had no difficulty recording a verdict of accidental death.

"What I have to consider is whether that is aggravated by negligence," said Mr Singleton. "I am satisfied that in this particular case there has been a gross failure to provide medical attention such that it would be right to reach a conclusion that the accidental death was aggravated by neglect."

Richard Gildert, acting chief executive of East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust, said: "Our sympathies are with the family following their tragic loss and we will be contacting Mr Leach in the very near future to discuss the outcome of the inquest."

Hospital sources said they were unable to confirm if an internal inquiry into Mrs Leach's death had begun or if procedures had been changed since the incident.