A GRIEVING widower whose wife died of cancer says the report in to the surgeon who dismissed his wife as a "silly woman" comes too late.

Three days before the fifth anniversary of his wife's death, father-of-two Doug Allen said although he welcomed the report on Mr Baumber, it disclosed nothing new.

Mr Allen of Riverside Road, Radcliffe said: "I am glad they finally had an inquiry but it is very sad that it should take such tragedy for the Trust to take any action."

Gillian Allen, then 28, first went to see Mr Baumber at Bury General Hospital in 1992 after she discovered a lump in her breast.

But Mr Baumber dismissed her fears and told her she was a "silly woman who read too many women's magazines and watched too much television."

On subsequent visits he ignored her fears claiming the lump in her breast was fatty tissue after giving birth to two children within 17 months. Two years later the cancer spread to her liver and she died on August 29.

Mr Allen was awarded an £80,000 out-of-court settlement last December to be split between the couple's two children Christopher, aged nine and eight-year-old Melanie.

Mr Allen said: "No 28-year-old should have to stand in front of a medical professional and be told the things he told Gillian. I just wanted Mr Baumber to be held accountable for his actions."

He added: "What concerns me is that they have only looked at files going back to 1991 when Mr Baumber practised for 21 years."

Mr Allen has welcomed the tough new measures to ensure similar mistakes are prevented from happening again but believes they should have been implemented much sooner.

"I knew a long time ago that breast care services in Bury needed improving. Clearly there were concerns about Mr Baumber well before April 1998 I just do not know why action was not taken sooner."

He added: " I am glad they are finally taking action and I just hope no one has to go through what Gillian had to suffer."

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