Despite all the advances in the treatment of cancer – and the improved survival rates – swift diagnosis remains crucial. Late diagnosis of cancer can and still does have fatal consequences.
Sadly, some GPs and hospitals are still failing to diagnose cancer correctly, with devastating consequences for patients and their loved ones.
No amount of money can compensate for loss of life due to medical negligence. But it can help to support those left behind.
Some of the potential outcomes of misdiagnosis or delayed diagnosis of cancer include:
Despite clinicians’ best efforts, cases of misdiagnosis or late diagnosis happen more often than you might expect.
Covid has made matters worse. It could take a decade to clear the backlog of cases missed during the pandemic, warns the British Medical Journal.
Mistakes and delays happen when people are overwhelmed with work, when systems and services are overburdened. Sadly, the NHS is no exception.
There are a number of reasons why misdiagnosis or delayed diagnosis of cancer may occur. These include:
Nobody wants to sue the NHS – but sometimes patients are left with no alternative. Especially when it’s cancer, when it’s your life or the life of a loved one at stake.
Cancer patients need urgent treatment and care. They may not be confident in entrusting their life to a hospital that has already failed them once by not diagnosing their cancer quickly enough.
If they still have a chance at beating cancer, they will need compensation to fund urgent treatment at a private hospital.
And if it’s too late, if the cancer has become untreatable, they will need palliative care – and the reassurance that their loved ones will be provided for sufficiently after they have gone.
If you or a loved one have cancer, you don’t need a solicitor to tell you that swift action is vital.
But I’m going to tell you anyway…because the issue of time also affects those who’ve already lost someone to cancer.
There is a time limit on medical negligence claims. The limitation period is usually three years from the date that you first became aware of negligence causing significant injury.
But there are some exceptions to this rule:
Furthermore, the courts have the power to extend the time limit beyond three years if they believe that the circumstances of the case call for it.
However, it is important to bring a medical negligence claim as soon as possible. Waiting can make it harder to gather evidence.
As specialist medical negligence solicitors, we act for clients across the country. We’ve handled a lot of cases involving delayed diagnosis or misdiagnosis of cancer.
We helped a woman in her 40s to claim £675,000 after her cervical cancer was diagnosed later than it should have been.
This late diagnosis reduced her life expectancy and left her unable to work. It meant she needed aggressive chemotherapy and radiotherapy treatment – causing continence and mobility issues.
We handle medical negligence claims on a No Win No Fee basis so there is no financial risk to you. You can claim without having to pay any legal fees in advance.
No Win No Fee – also known as a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA) – ensures you don’t have to pay any legal fees in the unlikely event that your claim is unsuccessful.
If you don’t win your case, you won’t have to pay your solicitor’s fees. (We absorb the cost.) And insurance taken out as part of the process means the other’s side legal fees would be covered too.
For more information, contact Coles Miller Partner David Simpson who leads our team of medical negligence solicitors. He is based at our Poole office.