A catalogue of errors resulted in the death of a cancer sufferer who had felt 'abandoned' by doctors, an inquest has been told.

The family of retired classroom assistant Jill Phillips wept at the hearing on Thursday after the coroner ruled that her poor care by the East Kent Hospitals Trust amounted to neglect.

Mrs Phillips, 68, who used to work at Whitstable Junior School, died on the operating table from infection caused by peritonitis as surgeons repaired her perforated bowel.

She was suffering with bowel cancer but the inquest heard that her problems all stemmed back to the failure of surgeon David Jackson to carry out the correct first operation.

Coroner Rebecca Cobb was told by the Trust's then clinical director of surgery Robert Insall how a multi-disciplinary team decided that Mrs Phillips needed an operation to remove a major part of her bowel to ensure the cancer was eradicated.

But instead, Mr Jackson only removed a polyp which left the cancer to spread.

Mr Jackson, who did not respond to the coroner's request to attend the hearing, was later sacked by the Trust and is currently suspended from practising by the General Medical Council.

But the family of Mrs Phillips, who lived in Ham Shades Lane, Whitstable, had to fight for access to her detailed medical records after suspecting that something was wrong and called for an inquest.

With the help of medical negligence specialist solicitor Sarah Harman, they unravelled missed opportunities to put the mistake right and lengthy delays in Mrs Phillips getting the investigation and treatment she urgently needed.

The pathologist Dr Andrew Rouse apologised to the hearing for initially recording her death as from natural causes.

He said that subsequent expert information meant he now concluded that her death was from peritonitis and colon cancer. But he added that the 'inappropriate' first operation to remove the polyp was also a factor.

After the hearing Mrs Phillips' husband, Jim Phillips, of Glen Irise Close, Canterbury, said: "It's only through the persistence of the family that we have now got to the truth.

"She suffered dreadfully as a result of the failures in her care and felt abandoned by doctors. But I'm relieved that we've finally got justice for Jill.

"We now know that had she had the correct operation, there's a 60% chance she would have been cured."

"I'm only disappointed that Mr Jackson was not at the hearing to speak for himself."

The Trust accepted liability for the failings in a separate civil action and paid compensation following Mrs Phillips' death in 2006.