A patient died after a hospital failed to treat him for cancer despite being informed of the suspected diagnosis by another NHS trust, an investigation has revealed.

Peter Filipovic was told by medics at Medway Maritime Hospital in Gillingham in late 2011 that it was thought he had pancreatic cancer.

He was referred to King's College Hospital in London for treatment but was not treated for the condition.

Instead, further tests were carried out in early 2012 and, two months on, it was confirmed Mr Filipovic had the disease.

An operation was necessary and a procedure was planned but he was too ill to have it.

By the following month, he had become too frail, and despite being referred for chemotherapy, he died, aged 62, in summer 2012.

His wife, Jean, 65, contacted the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) about what happened at King's and how it dealt with her complaint.

In a report, the PHSO concluded the London hospital had “failed to act quickly enough” on Iwade resident Mr Filipovic’s symptoms.

It found doctors had ruled out the suggestion of pancreatic cancer and "instead concentrated on changes in the body and another part of the pancreas".

Its investigation acknowledged that even if King’s had acted quicker, the outcome may have been the same.

But it also concluded thatKing’s had given Mrs Filipovic “confusing and contradictory” information when handling her complaint.

King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust apologised for the failings and paid Mrs Filipovic £1,500 because it had denied her husband the best chance of surviving.

A spokesman for the trust said: "We would like to apologise wholeheartedly once again to the family involved in this case.

"The care Mr Filipovic received at the hospital fell below the high standards we set ourselves, and we recognise this was unacceptable.

"Lessons have been learnt from this case, and we have taken a number of steps to improve the safety of the services we provide.

"This includes working with the clinicians involved in Mr Filipovic’s care to improve the management of patients with similar conditions, and robust tracking of all patients with suspected cancer to ensure they are treated within the appropriate timescales."