Woman dies after private scan spotted lung cancer but family claims no-one told her

Margaret Jones' household are devastated and aggravated to cognize that her crab was treatable but assertion a 'catastrophic failure' of connection yet contributed to her death

A grandma has died with her backstage healthcare supplier being accused of failing to archer her a tumour had been spotted connected her lungs during a scan.

Margaret Jones' relatives accidental a "catastrophic failure” meant accusation was not passed on, meaning she wasn't diagnosed with lung crab until 4 years later, by which clip the information was terminal.

The grandma of 10 had a CT scan astatine GenesisCare successful Portsmouth successful February 2019, aft she was diagnosed with bosom crab and was being prepared for radiotherapy. The scan revealed a origin for interest successful her close lung – but lawyers for the household accidental owed to failings successful GenesisCare’s interior processes - this was ne'er passed on.

According to the lawyers, had Margaret’s crab been identified astatine this stage, aesculapian grounds supports that it would astir apt person been treatable. Margaret, from Fareham, Hampshire, was yet diagnosed with signifier 4 lung crab successful December 2023, which by past had dispersed to her encephalon and bones.

She experienced important suffering and nonaccomplishment of mobility arsenic her information deteriorated, and died successful August this year, aged 76, leaving 2 daughters and a son.

Daughter Karen said: “We are truthful angry, devastated, perfectly mislaid without our mum. She was the centre of our world, and to suffer her successful specified a preventable way, and to cognize her crab was treatable, has destroyed our full world. This request not person happened.

“Mum enactment her implicit religion successful the aesculapian profession, she would ne'er person doubted what the professionals told her. But what has happened present is utterly devastating.”

Karen's sister Sarah, added: “Mum didn’t privation this to hap to anyone else, truthful we arsenic a household are speaking retired successful the anticipation we tin halt this happening again, to prevention adjacent 1 much household being torn isolated arsenic we person been.”

Margaret was referred to GenesisCare, an oncology attraction provider, by Spire Hospital Portsmouth, wherever she paid privately for her care. Ahead of the people of radiotherapy she was owed to acquisition for her bosom cancer, she had a preparatory CT scan – which identified an country of interest successful her precocious close lung. But lawyers for Margaret's household assertion this was not escalated to her oncologist.

The lawyers assertion determination are disputes implicit which members of unit were involved, whether a telephone telephone was made to walk connected the information, and whether a radiology study was printed retired and enactment into the advisor objective oncologist’s pigeon hole.

GenesisCare are carrying retired an interior probe which lawyers for Margaret's household assertion has been hampered owed to missing emails and aesculapian records, and a deficiency of an audit trail. The institution has referred itself to the CQC implicit its relation successful the case.

Daughter Karen added: “I don’t cognize however an organisation tin run without an audit trail, peculiarly 1 that deals successful beingness oregon decease information. They person fundamentally failed our mum.

“The failures are conscionable truthful basic. When you’re passing connected accusation of this benignant of importance, you petition an email work receipt, to marque definite it has been passed on. The continuity of accusation is perfectly captious successful situations similar this. And I cannot judge successful this time and property we are relying connected printed accusation successful pigeon holes – however tin this beryllium portion of a modern and acceptable for intent healthcare system? We request due answers truthful we tin hole the basal origin of what happened here.”

Sarah said: “Our household volition ne'er retrieve from what has happened to us. Our mum was perfectly everything to us, she was amazing, and her grandchildren cannot recognize that they volition ne'er spot her again. When the doorbell rings, my youngest kid asks ‘Is that nanny?’ It’s wholly devastating.”

Margaret’s household are being supported by instrumentality steadfast Slater and Gordon and are suing GenesisCare for negligence for the alleged nonaccomplishment to diagnose Margaret successful a timely manner. Nicole Jackson, subordinate and objective negligence specialist, told the Mirror: “This is an perfectly shocking nonaccomplishment of process which has had the astir tragic consequences.

"Margaret’s household are struggling to comprehend what went wrong, and person to unrecorded with the cognition that had the tumour been acted upon, their parent would astir most apt inactive beryllium present with them today.

“There are galore questions to reply here, and we volition enactment them successful uncovering the truth. It is captious that we found however these failings were allowed to hap and what lessons indispensable beryllium learned, to enactment the household successful ensuring this ne'er happens again.”

A GenesisCare spokeswoman said: "We connection our deepest condolences to the household and friends of Margaret Jones. The circumstances surrounding the passing of Margaret stay nether probe to place immoderate failings and guarantee lessons are learned wherever required. Unfortunately, we are not capable to supply immoderate further remark astatine this clip arsenic ineligible proceedings person been intimated and the substance is successful the hands of lawyers."