A widow is demanding a letter of apology after a hospital posted her dead husband's get well cards back, addressed to him.

June Bishop said she was devastated when she saw the envelope with her husband Richard's name on - only days after he had died from a brain tumour.

Leeds General Infirmary has apologised for the incident but Mrs Bishop described staff as "heartless".

"I was just so upset when I went for the post and saw the envelope with Richard's name on," said Mrs Bishop, 67, who lives in Little Horton.

"Then when I opened it up and found that it was get well cards that he was sent while he was in the ward where he died, I was disgusted.

"All the staff there knew that Richard had passed away yet they posted this back to the house addressed to him.

"Why didn't they just put Mrs Bishop on the envelope instead of Mr R Bishop? I deliberately had everything changed straight away from the water rates, phone bill, council tax and all the bank statements so they're all in my name.

"It just upsets me too much when I see Richard's name on something and it was the day before his funeral."

Mr Bishop, who was 58, was transferred from St Luke's Hospital to Leeds General Infirmary where he died on September 12.

A spokesman for Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust said: "We would like to extend our sincere sympathy to Mrs Bishop and her family on their loss. It is a hospital policy to return all personal items belonging to a deceased patient to their family or next of kin.

"We are sorry that in this instance not all of Richard's belongings were together, which meant that the cards had to be sent by post.''

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