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Posted on June 8, 2021 by SheldonDavidsonSolicitors
COMPENSATION WON
£44,000
Ms Hartley was awarded £44,000 for a delay in her diagnosis of bladder cancer.
Ms Hartley’s diagnosis of bladder cancer was delayed by 3 years and 8 months.
From January 2015 to August 2018, Ms Hartley attended her GP surgery with persistent symptoms of bladder cancer including dysuria, blood in urine and loss of bladder control. She was continually told that she had a urine infection and provided with different types of antibiotics.
In October 2016 the GP did refer Ms Hartley to the Urology department at the Defendant hospital and an appointment was arranged for 11th October 2016. However, Ms Hartley was not informed about the appointment or provided with the appointment details. She therefore did not attend.
The hospital wrote to the GP confirming that they would contact Ms Hartley to rearrange the appointment. The hospital failed to contact Ms Hartley and she never received an appointment to be reviewed by the Urology Department.
Ms Hartley’s symptoms persisted and she continued to go back and forth to the GP regarding her persistent bladder symptoms. On 26th June 2018, the GP wrote to the Urology team who advised that Ms Hartley needed to have an ultrasound scan.
On 2nd July 2018, Ms Hartley attended hospital and underwent an ultrasound scan on her kidneys. The scan showed a 54 x 46 x 40mm mass arising from the posterior wall which is highly suspicious in the bladder. In light of the recent ultrasound result, an urgent 2 week wait referral was sent to Urology.
On 13th August 2018, Ms Hartley attended hospital and was seen by a Consultant Urological Surgeon where a flexible cystoscopy confirmed the presence of tumour in the bladder and posterior wall. A CT urogram and transurethral resection of the bladder was then arranged.
During our investigations on the claim, it was confirmed by an independent GP expert that the GP failed to provide Ms Hartley with the reasonable and appropriate care and that she should have been referred to Urology/Oncology much earlier. It was also confirmed by an independent Urologist specialising in Oncology that on 11th October 2016, the hospital breached their duty of care by failing to contact the Ms Hartley and arrange for a follow up appointment.
Our Urologist expert also confirmed that had the bladder cancer been identified at an earlier date, on a balance of probability, it would have been smaller. This would have resulted in Ms Hartley undergoing a simpler and smaller trans urethral resection of the bladder tumour (TURBT) and the avoidance of the ureteroscopy and stent insertion. Further to this, the urinary tract infections that Ms Hartley had suffered, from 2015 to 2018, were likely to have been the result of the bladder cancer.
Therefore, had the bladder cancer been diagnosed at an earlier date, on a balance of probability, Ms Hartley could have avoided suffering from ongoing UTI symptoms for a period of 22 months. The UTI symptoms that Ms Hartley suffered from during this period of time include dysuria, smelly urine, overactive/weak bladder, discharge, itchiness, dryness and blood in urine. Ms Hartley’s symptoms became progressively worse overtime.
The Defendant hospital admitted liability and Ms Hartley was awarded £44,000.
Ms Hartley’s comments regarding her experience:
‘Demi has helped me so much and guided me along all the way. I can’t thank her enough. I was very upset when the Doctors let me down but Demi reassured me with everything and was always there to tell me what was going on every step of the way. Thank you so much.’
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