A mother has died of stomach cancer after her GP and ten doctors failed to diagnose the disease.

Angela Skeffington had reported classic stomach cancer symptoms since April but was not given a specialist CT scan until late August, when the disease was finally spotted.

But by then the cancer had spread to her liver and lymph nodes and Mrs Skeffington, 44, from Birmingham was told she only had weeks to live.

The former warehouse worker had previously been misdiagnosed with anorexia, depression and period pain.

Tragic: Angela Skeffington, 44, has died from stomach cancer after ten doctors and her GP failed to diagnose the disease

Her angry relatives have now attacked the NHS for failing to diagnose the cancer earlier.

Her sister Christine Layton, 45, from Rugeley, West Midlands, said:’Doctors tried giving Angela chemotherapy, but it was too late by thenand didn’t work.

‘I know survival rates are not always very long, but my sister could still be here today if the doctors had listened to her.

‘She may not have had a lifetime, but they could have given her more time with her children and grandchildren.’

For five months, the grandmother-of-five claimed she complained ofstabbing pains to the stomach, blood in her vomit and stools, plus aloss of appetite to her GP, Dr Atta Shah at the Khyber Surgery inSaltley, Birmingham, along with a further ten doctors during 12 visitsto Heartlands Hospital A&E.

Dr Shah had booked a referral to hospital for Mrs Skeffington inJune, but she was still awaiting an appointment when she was diagnosedwith cancer in August.

Speaking after she was first diagnosed with terminal cancer, MrsSkeffington, who lived with partner John, had said: ‘I was made to feellike a nuisance by all the doctors.

‘I was treated worse than an animal.’

Misdiagnosis: Angela Skeffington visited Birmingham’s Heartlands Hospital 12 times before her fatal cancer was diagnosed

She died at Erdington’s John Taylor Hospice, and missed out on seeing her new grandchild, who is due to be born in January.

Her sister Mrs Layton added: ‘We had a meeting with the hospital, but everyone is passing the buck.

‘The hospital said Angela’s case will be used to train doctors andthere is a new system of flagging up patients so they are seen by aconsultant if they report the same symptoms four times to try andprevent it happening again.’

The Primary Care Trust has said it cannot comment on individual cases due to patient confidentiality

But a Heartlands Hospital spokeswoman said: ‘We would again like toapologise to Mrs Skeffington’s family and send them our sincerestcondolences.

‘We take all issues raised very seriously and have met with MrsSkeffington’s family at the beginning of October to discuss theirconcerns regarding the care provided and to assure them that we wereputting in place changes as a result of the sequence of eventsexperienced by Mrs Skeffington.’