BEREAVED families and medical experts have held a lively debate about the care in local NHS hospitals.

Around 70 campaigners from patient action group Cure the NHS led tonight’s meeting at the Red Hall Hotel, in Ramsbottom.

The group, which was set up in the wake of the mid-Staffordshire hospital scandal, probed an expert panel about patient treatment.

John Roddy, of Kearsley, spoke about the unexpected death of his wife Mary Roddy, aged 78, who died at the Royal Bolton Hospital last June following a routine knee operation.

Prof Sir Brian Jarman, OBE, of Imperial College, London, attended the meeting to discuss concerns over higher than expected death rates in some North West hospitals.

Sue McMillan, North West regional director of the Care Quality Commission was also on the panel.

Dr Ruth Jameson, medical director of Pennine Acute Trust, was due to attend but pulled out at the last minute.

Bereaved relatives unhappy with NHS care at The Royal Bolton Hospital and Pennine Acute hospitals, including Bury’s Fairfield General Hospital, shared their stories.

The meeting comes after a Channel 4 documentary, which was screened earlier this month, claimed to have uncovered staff mistreating patients and calling them names at Pennine Acute Trust, which also runs hospitals in Rochdale, Oldham and North Manchester.

Following the documentary, Pennine Acute bosses apologised for unacceptable behaviour towards some patients and called in an independent regulator to review its care.

For the full story, see Saturday's The Bolton News.