THE partner of a former model who died in Medway Maritime Hospital is convinced her death could have been avoided - despite a coroner's ruling that she died of natural causes.

Solicitor Richard Bridge, who shared his life with Jaqueline Walker for 25 years said after an inquest that he was planning to take legal action.

"I'm not satisfied. I think there are three fundamental issues that I don't see satisfactorily addressed," said Mr Bridge, of High Street, Lower Stoke, near Rochester.

He added: "I'm considering civil litigation unless my insurance company becomes convinced by the case put forward by the hospital in which case I wont have the financial cover."

But Medway NHS says everything possible was done to keep Mrs Walker alive. Coroner Roger Sykes agreed.

Mrs Walker, 58, suffered from a chronic airway disease and was also a smoker. The retired teacher and social worker died at Medway Maritime on May 11, 2003 from pneumonia.

Initially; Mrs Walker was rushed to hospital by ambulance on May 6, 2003, with breathing problems and a painful back. During the ambulance ride, oxygen was administered to Mrs Walker but she was taken off oxygen once she arrived at A&E.

After spending an hour and ten minutes in triage a doctor attended to Mrs Walker but by this time the focus was entirely on her back and no x-rays were taken of her chest.

A doctor diagnosed Mrs Walker with sciatica and she was sent home.

The next day she was complaining of a pain just under her breath - a symptom consistent with a lung infection.

Although medial experts testified during the inquest that lung infection can develop within a few hours and is not always visible on an x-ray, Mr Bridge is questioning if the infection would have been detectable with an x-ray the day before.

On May 10 Mrs Walker was back in hospital with severe pneumonia and she died the next day.

Her condition had deteriorated so badly by the morning of May 11 it was decided to put a tube into her lung to help her breathe.

Later that day Mrs Walker suffered a respiratory arrest from which she was resuscitated but she died only 15 minutes later from a cardiac arrest.

Mr Bridge is questioning several of the procedures taking place during Mrs Walker's treatment.

But medical staff giving evidence during the inquest testified that the treatments were all part of hospital procedures.

Coroner Roger Sykes said he was satisfied that even if a chest x-ray had been carried out it would not have shown a need for any different treatment.

He said: "I'm entirely satisfied that Jackie's death was as a result of complications of her chronic airways disease and that she died from the causes ascribed by (pathologist) Dr David Rouse of pneumonia and Empyema Thoracis.

At the inquest, Roger Hawkes, Medway NHS Trust's general manager of legal services made a statement. He said: "All the staff treating Jaqueline Walker are sad that despite their best efforts they were unable to do anything for this lady.

"At the inquest the coroner and family members have heard detailed reports from a number of senior staff involved in the patient's care and treatment and the trust very much hopes the family can now be reassured that everything that could have been done was done.

"The trust's sincere condolences goes out to the family members."