His brain tumour was missed by docs for a year
NHS Lanarkshire have insisted their doctors acted with due care and attention after a Wishaw man’s brain tumour went unnoticed for more than a year.
Despite numerous CT scans at Wishaw General Hospital, Tam Williamson’s tumour was not picked up until 12 months later when he was eventually sent for further tests at the Golden Jubilee Hospital in Clydebank.
Mr Williamson received a letter from NHS Greater G l a s g ow and Clyde apologising after tests showing the 13mm growth in 2015 “slipped through the net”. The blunder meant the 48-year-old grandad’s tumour went untreated for more than 12 months.
The mistake has left Mr Williamson fighting for his life and he now faces complicated brain surgery which only has a 30 per cent survival rate.
Speaking to our sister paper, the Sunday Mail, Mr Williamson said he had sympathy with the doctor at Wishaw General who had told him that budget cuts meant he’d missed the tumour due to the costs of running the machines.
However, consultant Tam Williamson radiologist Dr Fiona Gardner, NHS Lanarkshire associate medical director for diagnostics, said: “We appreciate that this must be a distressing time for Mr Williamson and his family.
“While we cannot discuss individual cases I can confirm that neither Mr Williamson, nor any of his family, has ever raised any concerns about his treatment with us directly.
“At no point have clinical staff been instructed by managers to carry out partial scans to make savings on the running costs of the machinery.
“All patients with persistent head symptoms will undergo a thorough diagnostic examination using full CT and MRI scans to enable us to identify any issues.
“As with all patients, if an issue is identified within the scan, they will be referred to the specialist neurology services in NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde as this is
I’m angry my life has been put at risk
where the regional services are located.”
Mr Williamson had a craniotomy to remove the 28mm benign tumour in October 2012.
The surgery involved removing a section of bone from the skull to allow surgeons to operate on the brain.
A 10- hour op was considered a success and Mr Williamson says medics decided against taking the belt- and- braces approach of following up with radiotherapy or chemotherapy.
Mr Williamson only found out about the nightmare return of his tumour in May.
He discovered the blunder when he reapplied for his driver’s licence and the DVLA demanded all his medical paperwork.
He said: “I’m angry that my life has been put at risk.
“I thought everything was OK while I actually had a ticking timebomb in my head.
“This should’ve been picked up in 2015 but because my scan was misplaced it’s spread.
“I’m trying to roll with the punches and stay positive but my whole family are devastated.
“There has to be a full investigation into what’s gone on so that it can never happen to anyone in future.”