A grandmother who has been diagnosed with inoperable lung cancer has received £75,000 in compensation after a hospital failed to investigate the cause of a shadow on her left lung, revealed in a previous X-ray.
Janet Hardingham, 65, only discovered the error after she was admitted to the Royal United Hospital in Bath in 2009 suffering from an irregular heartbeat. She was in intensive care on a ventilator for four weeks and spent a further 10 weeks in hospital recovering. Just days before she was due to be discharged, a doctor told her that she was to undergo a bronchoscopy as they were concerned about a suspicious shadow on her lung.
Tests showed that Mrs Hardingham had inoperable lung cancer. She underwent radiotherapy in November 2009 but was told she only had a year to live.
In fact, a radiologist at the same hospital had spotted the problem two years earlier, noting that the patient should be treated with antibiotics and should then undergo a further X-ray in six weeks. This did not happen.
After she commenced legal action against the hospital, the case was settled promptly and Mrs Hardingham was paid £75,000 in compensation.
£75,000 Compensation for Medical Negligence
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