A VICAR has released a diary written by his terminally-ill wife in the months before her death in a bid to improve the way medical staff deal with patients.

Linda Logan, wife of the Rev Kevin Logan, complained of being treated like a child by staff and not being kept informed of how serious her mouth cancer was.

Mrs Logan, who died on October 1 2004, recounted being "shell shocked and numb" after the severity of her illness was finally revealed to her by doctors, three months after she was first referred to hospital.

The diary lists a series of complaints, including her difficulty finding an NHS dentist in Rawtenstall, to her time in Burnley General and Blackburn Infirmary.

She also revealed she contracted MRSA during one visit to hospital.

Her final entry said: "They really should learn how to tell patients what to expect. They should be prepared to give patients information so that they can make choices."

Mr Logan, vicar at Christ Church with Cannon Street, Accrington, has only just read the diary as he said he could not face re-examining his wife of 35-years' ordeal immediately after her death.

But he said it highlighted the need for medical staff to communicate with patients and not "act like God" over their treatment. Hospital bosses have offered to meet Mr Logan to discuss his concerns.

And a patient watchdog has expressed concern about the case but said it hoped that the improvements made in the NHS will have addressed some issues. However a spokesman for national cancer charity Cancerbackup said it highlighted the importance of clear commu-nication and information.

Mr Logan said he was with his wife at all her consultations and added: "We thought the consultant did a superb job technically but our main concern was that we weren't listened to and we certainly weren't given the full information.

"Outside the operating theatre he just seemed to act like God and didn't give Linda the choice and information. She never felt in charge of her treatment."

Mr Logan said his wife was a former schools inspector for Ofsted and more than capable of taking a role in her treatment. But he said his wife, who was 61 when she died, was shocked to discover how serious her condition was prior to her first operation, a year to the day before she died. Mrs Logan, who was admitted to the former Blackburn Royal Infirmary, wrote "how have things altered in six weeks?" and "when and how did they know this?". Mr Logan said: "It was no rush and suddenly everything seemed urgent. We felt misled. She had only really a sketchy picture of what she was going to go through. She was not given the full picture."

He said: "She had a good mind and wanted to make her own decisions and was treated as a child."

Peter Weller, head of assurance and safety at East Lancashire Hospitals NHS said: "If Mr Logan continues to have concerns about the care Mrs Logan received whilst under our care we would encourage him to get in touch with us so we can investigate those concerns and respond in detail."

Mrs Logan's diary entries show she spent four months trying to see an NHS dentist about a routine denture problem - which could have led to her condition being detected earlier..

A spokesman for the East Lancashire Primary Care Trust, which is responsible for dentistry in Rawtenstall, said: "Great strides have been made towards solving the dental access problems in East Lancashire. Emergency dentists are available to see patients with suspected cancer complaints."

Helen Hedges, vice-chairman of the Patient and Public Involvement Forum, the trust's official watchdog, said: "The forum would hope that many improvements in the NHS generally and in East Lancashire hospitals specifically have addressed at least some of the issues."

Kim Hardwick, senior nurse at national cancer charity Cancerbackup said: "This very sad story certainly highlights the importance of clear communication and information giving for anyone affected by cancer."

A Royal College of Surgeons spokesman said it could not comment on individual cases.