Case studies

Our client had known Atypical Mole Syndrome (AMS) phenotype and was recognised as being prone to skin cancer. She attended her specialist with a basal cell carcinoma on her nose that was wrongly diagnosed as actinic keratosis and was discharged.

A diagnosis of Cauda Equina Syndrome (CES) can be confirmed only with an MRI scan and the condition needs urgent treatment to avoid permanent and severe damage. Our 30-year old client had suspected CES and was admitted to hospital for an MRI scan, but this was delayed by 10 hours.

We acted for a client who suffered unilateral deterioration of her vision in the early 1990s. She reported this to her optometrist, whom she attended regularly between 1997 and 2004 while her vision continued to deteriorate.

Our client's father and grandfather had both suffered prostate cancer. As he was concerned at his own risk of the disease, he asked his GP to arrange tests.

Our client was under the care of his local hospital for an unrelated condition when he noticed a lesion developing in his ear. He complained to his treating doctors who agreed that he needed referral to the dermatology department.

Our client attended her local A&E with signs of Cauda Equina Syndrome (CES). These were noted by the A&E doctor and she was correctly referred to the orthopaedic team. There was a disagreement about the evidence for CES and a senior orthopaedic doctor was therefore involved.

We have acted in a number of cases where administrative errors and oversights have resulted in delays in diagnosing and treating patients, some with tragic consequences. In one case, a client attended his GP with a suspected malignant melanoma. His test results were subsequently misfiled.

Our client had suffered from pain in her left knee for a number of years. Following an investigation, she was told she needed to have a total knee replacement (TKR).

Our client's wife attended her GP for nearly three years complaining of bowel problems. The GP failed to consider colorectal cancer as a potential diagnosis.

We recently secured £35,000 compensation in an out-of-court settlement for a client who suffered a bowel perforation that could have been prevented.

We have recently settled a case in which the NHS Litigation Authority accepted that our client had a high prospect of being cured had she been treated properly. Instead, at the age of 42, she tragically died when a malignant ovarian cyst was not diagnosed for over eight months.

Cases involving swabs and instruments do still occur notwithstanding attempts to avoid such incidents. As an example, we acted for a client who underwent major pelvic exenteration surgery for vaginal cancer during which a swab was left in situ.