THE parents of a young girl who died after a routine operation are still waiting to meet the staff who treated her five months after hospital bosses promised to arrange it.

Audrey Blair, of Cobblestones, Hempstead, near Gillingham, died nearly two years ago from complications after having her appendix out at Medway Maritime Hospital in Gillingham.

In response to an inquiry by independent experts back in February, the hospital said it would arrange a meeting between Joe and Alison Blair and the doctors and nurses who treated nine-year-old Audrey.

But five months on from the report, the Blairs are still waiting for the meeting with staff.

Dr Alaisdair Stewart, Medway NHS Trust's medical director, insists the hospital made the promise of the meeting with staff in good faith, but it had proved more difficult to arrange than expected.

Some staff were too traumatised about Audrey's death to attend and some had moved to other hospitals, he added.

But Mrs Blair said: "Dr Stewart did not arrange the meeting as promised and we have no indication that the staff involved do accept the nature of the errors made. As far as we are aware, the doctors involved do not consider they made any errors and are therefore in danger of repeating them. This is the real problem.

"While we would continue to be willing to attend a meeting with these individuals, if they feel they would like to apologise, I think it is now a bit late for this and an apology forced out of people would be meaningless."

Audrey died in Guy's Hospital in London on November 7, 2000, more than two weeks after having her appendix out at Medway Maritime Hospital. She had to be readmitted twice suffering agonising pain.

The independent panel found Medway Maritime Hospital staff failed to spot nine-year-old Audrey's deteriorating condition in time and did not involve a consultant in her care soon enough.

The panel also criticised the "hostile stance" adopted by the trust at the inquest, where a jury found Audrey died of "unnatural causes".

Dr Stewart said after the panel's report was published in February: "Staff who were involved are prepared to meet the family and apologise. Those now working elsewhere in the country have also agreed to meet the family and I am arranging for them to come down."

Since then the Blairs have met consultants, doctors and the nurse manager for the children's ward, as well as clinical directors, but not those who actually cared for Audrey.

Dr Stewart said: "I did endeavour to arrange a meeting. I do hope that Mr and Mrs Blair will accept that we have tried to meet their wishes, as far as we possibly could, and that the promise was made in good faith."