Mrs B was in poor health and had been a heavy smoker. She had chronic obstructive airways disease. A CT scan of her chest showed a suspicious mass in the lung. There was a failure by the hospital to take any action on the scan result. Fourteen months later another CT scan showed the mass, which was diagnosed as malignant, had increased in size. The Trust then realised their error.
The Trust accepted that there was a breach of duty in failing to act on the first CT scan. This meant that Mrs B was not followed up during the fourteen month delay period. Nelsons obtained expert evidence from an oncologist. The delay in offering treatment did not affect the prognosis of the lung cancer. The delay in diagnosis did not cause Mrs B’s death.
Claire Liptrot and Baishali Majumdar represented Mr B in a claim against the NHS Trust arising from the death of his mother, Mrs B. They settled the claim for a substantial four figure sum.
Read more about the clinical negligence cases Nelsons has handled by visiting our Personal Injury case studies page.
For advice on pursuing a claim for compensation please contact a member of our Clinical Negligence team.
