The hospital denies liability

Helen Cooper, 51, died on 21 September just days after giving evidence as part of a case alleging medical negligence.

Her case against the Royal United Hospital Bath NHS Trust has been taken over by husband Mick, from Chippenham.

Simon King, counsel for the trust, which denies liability, said her care met the "appropriate standard".

Mrs Cooper, who had worked for the NHS for 34 years, had pursued her claim alleging staff at Bath's Royal United Hospital failed to detect her illness between 1999 and 2002.

She was diagnosed with breast cancer in May 2002.

The mother-of-two died after she had given her evidence in her damages action from a wheelchair in a Cardiff courtroom.

On the second day of the resumed hearing in London on Tuesday, Mr King, made his final submissions to the judge.

He said: "It is an important part of the defendant's case that the treatment - and I use that phrase broadly - offered to the deceased Mrs Cooper and available to her at Bath breast unit in late 2000 did not fall below an acceptable clinical standard for such treatment."

The case continues.