Trust paid out £2.7m for cancer misdiagnosis and delays
SECOND MOST DAMAGES IN ENGLAND
A RECENT investigation found that United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust (ULHT) paid out £2.7m in damages for cancer misdiagnoses and delayed cancer diagnoses.
England’s Health Ombudsman recently warned that cancer patients across the country could be put at risk, calling for immediate government action after research into cancer complaints frequently pointed to misdiagnosis and treatment delays.
Medical Negligence Assist, who are specialists in helping people claim compensation for medical negligence, found that NHS trusts are paying out millions in claims surrounding cancer treatment failure as well as delays and misdiagnosis. ULHT has had 25 such claims and incidents lodged against it since 2019 and has paid out the second highest amount of damages in England.
The data was obtained from a series of Freedom of Information requests to NHS Resolution. A total of 10 claims and incidents were received between 2020/21 against ULHT. A further nine were lodged between 2021/22 and six more claims and incidents were recorded the following year.
Of the 25 claims against ULHT, 13 were closed or settled costing the trust a total of £2,701,522. The NHS as a whole has forked out £128m on such claims in the past five years. These include: ‘Failure to interpret X-Ray,’ Failure to Follow-up Arrangement,’ ‘Failure to act on abnormal test results’ and ‘Wrong diagnosis.’
The NHS has paid £77.7m in claims for delays in cancer diagnosis in the past five years. Head of medical negligence at MNA, Nick Banks, said: “Whilst claiming against medical insurance agencies can seem daunting, such claims are the best way to ensure funding is made available for all of the patient’s short-term and longer-term needs.
“This can make a real difference to how quickly that patient is able to regain their former quality of life. Bringing such claims can also help the medical profession to identify important areas of improvement, hopefully ensuring that no future patients ever fall victim to the same mistakes.”
ULHT Medical Director, Dr Colin Farquharson, said: “NHS Resolution settles litigation claims on behalf of all NHS Trusts, and any funds paid out in litigation cases are not paid by ULHT but are covered by the premium paid each year to NHS Resolution. While we are not able to comment on the specific detail of the claims referred to in this Freedom of Information request made to NHS Resolution, we acknowledge that any failure to provide care to the high standards we expect can impact upon our patients and their loved ones. “This is why we take every opportunity to listen to those receiving our care and to learn from our mistakes, acting openly and honestly when those standards are not met. We remain committed to continual improvement in the care and support offered to everyone using our services.”