A coroner looking into the death of a Hutt Valley woman has again raised concerns about the lack of dialogue between hospital staff and the families of patients.
Wellington coroner Ian Smith made the comment in his inquiry into the death of Katherine Cains who died at Hutt Hospital in December 2010.
Ms Cains, who was 59, died of abdominal sepsis following acute surgery for a perforated colon.
Her sister, Patricia Clifford-Marsh, says she visited Ms Cains four times during her week in hospital and at no stage did any medical staff explain her sister's condition, or how serious it was, despite repeated requests to do so.
Ms Clifford-Marsh says if she had understood how unwell her sister was, she would have urged Ms Cains' children to rush to her bedside.
They arrived from Australia two days after her death.
Ian Smith says he has stated in several recent findings his concerns over the lack of dialogue between hospital staff and patients' families.
