Family of Cancer Victim Win Compensation After Hospital Blunder

Some medical negligence cases throw up greater difficulties than others, but solicitors are used to dealing with such claims and you should not be discouraged from seeking compensation. In one case, the family of a man who died of cancer won six-figure damages from the NHS after an early opportunity to diagnose and treat his condition was missed.

The man was aged just 49 when he died from abdominal cancer. Four years earlier he had undergone tests in hospital following a bout of appendicitis. One of those tests revealed evidence of aggressive cancer but no diagnosis was made and no action taken.

The NHS trust that ran the hospital admitted that its systems had failed but argued that an earlier diagnosis would sadly have made no difference to the final outcome. Following negotiations with the family's lawyers, however, the trust agreed to a financial settlement of the claim.

In approving the compromise, the High Court noted that the case had raised genuinely difficult issues. The exact amount of compensation was kept confidential.