A MAN whose wife died from cancer because hospital staff failed to diagnose and treat her early enough, has been awarded agreed damages of £80,000 by St Helens and Knowsley Health Authority.

But Mr John Menarry said that no amount of cash could make up for the loss of his 42-year-old wife Maureen.

Mr Menarry (56) of Sutton Leach, said: "I wanted to clear my own mind, I thought something had gone wrong. But I would sooner have Maureen than any amount of money."

The £80,000 award, made against St Helens and Knowsley Health Authority, included £10,000 to be shared between the couple's two children, 19-year-old Stephen and Lyndsey (16) for the loss of their mother.

Speaking on behalf of the family, Mr Adrian Lyon, who represented them at the High Court in Manchester, said that Mrs Menarry should have been diagnosed and treated earlier. He said: "If she had been, she would have had a better than 50 per cent chance of survival."

The family's solicitor, Janine Tobias, a partner in the Manchester firm Betesh, Fox & Co., revealed that Mrs Menarry first attended St Helens Hospital in 1984 suffering from a swollen jaw. During the following 12 months she returned a number of times to both St Helens and Whiston Hospital, complaining of pains and was eventually referred to the dentist.

Mrs Menarry wasn't diagnosed as having neck cancer until January or February of 1986.

After the award was made, Janine Tobias, said: "The family is satisfied with the result and pleased that the health authority has admitted some fault. We are just sorry it has taken so long.

"The family has always believed the treatment was bad, and if she had been treated earlier she would have survived."

She added: "The money will not bring Mrs Menarry back. The outcome simply comfirms what the family have always believed."

A St Helens and Knowsley Health Authority spokesman said: "The health authority regrets the death in 1987 of Mrs Menarry and wishes to extend its condolences to members of her family.

"There were aspects of Mrs Menarry's care and treatment which fell short of the standard normally provided. On this basis the health authority has agreed a settlement which it believes fairly reflects the uncertainty about the extent to which the delay in treatment contributed to Mrs Menarry's death.

"Situations such as this are extremely rare and the authority continues to work hard with hospital trusts to maintain the highest quality of care and treatment for its residents."

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.