Battle for justice
Catastrophic IT blunder could cost NHS millions, warn lawyers
LAWYERS last night warned the blunder at the heart of the breast cancer screening scandal will cost the NHS millions of pounds in compensation.
They are expecting those families affected to launch a ‘huge legal challenge’ against the health service.
Between 130 and 270 women are feared to have died as a direct result of missing screening invitations due to the ‘devastating’ IT glitch.
But many others may have had to endure unpleasant treatment and surgery because tumours were diagnosed late.
Maria Panteli, partner in the clinical negligence team at the solicitors Leigh Day said: ‘It is no surprise to learn that a failure to invite these women to their final scan meant that hundreds of lives were affected with many tragically shortened.
‘The Government now faces a potentially huge legal challenge on behalf of thousands of women, and their families, which could cost millions of pounds in compensation for those whose lives have been ruined by these failures.
‘The announcement of an independent inquiry is to be welcomed, but it must be soon and it must be rigorous.
‘ It needs to looks at all the reasons of how such a tragedy could have happened and be absolutely sure in its findings that, with so many lives at stake, it couldn’t happen again.’
Olivia Mitchison, senior solicitor at the negligence solicitors Bolt Burdon Kemp said: ‘ This is an example of an unacceptable administrative error which may have had fatal consequences.
‘If shown to be the case, this could lead to many medical negligence claims and cost the NHS thousands in compensation. Patient safety must be the top priority for the NHS.
‘ These women have been let down and put at risk because of this administrative error. This has the potential to lead to a class action.’
GPs yesterday warned that they would be inundated with worried patients trying to find out what to do next.
Health officials are in the process to writing to the 309,000 women affected by the scandal who are still alive and living in the UK.
Those who are aged 70 or 71 will be encouraged to have ‘ catch up’ screening. But if they are 72 or older, however, they will face an agonising choice as to whether to have the mammograms.
At this age there is a risk they will do more harm than good by picking up slow- growing tumours, which then have to be surgically removed.
Professor Helen Stokes-Lampard, chairman of the Royal College of GPs, said: ‘We are shocked to learn that hundreds of thousands of women in England have missed out on their opportunity for breast screening – and the implications for GPs and our teams will potentially be significant, as patients seek reassurance and to find out where they go from here.’
‘Lives have been ruined by these failures’