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Undiagnosis of spinal cancer leads to death of woman

A woman died after her spinal cancer was undiagnosed for months after repeatedly being sent home from her GP and hospital.

Patricia Ann Whitehouse complained of back pain for months and visited her GP on several occasions but was told she had a urinary tract infection.

She was also told she had a twisted spine and, after attending A&E at Royal Stoke University Hospital, she was sent home with painkillers after waiting nine hours.

However, the following month, Mrs Whitehouse was diagnosed with cancer of the spine and was told her condition was terminal with two tumours on her right lung and one on her spine.

Mrs Whitehouse sadly passed away yesterday believing she was 'failed' by the NHS.

Hannah Bottomley, clinical negligence solicitor at PotterReesDolan, said:

This tragic case raises a number of issues with both GP diagnosis and waiting times in A&E but, for me, the most important issue is the proposal to introduce fixed fees for solicitors investigating lower value.

Where someone has sadly passed away as a result of negligence, the value of the claim can be relatively low although the importance of investigating and identifying where mistakes have been made is of vital importance.

The recent proposal to introduce fixed fees for lower value work will inevitably effect claims such as Mrs Whitehouse’s and I worry this could mean solicitors will be unable to properly investigate such situations meaning families are denied the answers they want and there is a real risk of a lack of access to justice.

Hannah Bottomley is a clinical negligence solicitor with PotterReesDolan. Should you have any queries about clinical negligence issues or indeed any other aspect of this article and wish to speak to Hannah or any other member of the team please contact us on 0161 237 5888 or email Hannah.

If you have lost a loved one due to clinical negligence it can be hard to know where to turn, especially if the Coroner has become involved. PotterReesDolan’s expert clinical negligence solicitors can help you claim compensation for your loss where there are dependants. Visit our dedicated webpage on fatal accidents for more information.

PotterReesDolan settled a case of an elderly woman who had a blood clot on her spinal cord for over £2 million after the blood clot was undetected.

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