Cancer - That scary word. The word that you hope you never hear coming out of your doctor’s mouth. The word you never want to associate with your parents, your brothers and sisters, your friends and certainly not your children.
The truth is, by 2020 almost one in two of us will, at some point in our lives, be diagnosed with some sort of cancer according to MacMillan. That means that it is almost certain that cancer will, directly or indirectly, have an effect on you at some point in your life if it hasn’t already.
Naturally, upon hearing that word, you will have questions that you want answers to: How bad is it? Can it be treated? How do I tell my family and friends? How long do I have? What will life be like for my family if I die?
But imagine that this news is somehow made even worse. What if you could have been told about that word earlier? What if your doctors missed it? What if the test results weren’t looked at properly? What if your cancer could have been treated successfully but now it is terminal? How could this have happened?
What if it should never have been associated with you in the first place? What if that treatment you struggled through shouldn’t have taken place? What if all of that worry, stress and the sleepless nights had all been unnecessary because your test results had been mixed up with somebody else’s? What has happened to that person?
These are just some of the circumstances that clients have brought to our attention here at Jackson Lees.
We are lucky in this country to have some fantastic treatments for cancer which are available to everybody under the NHS if they are needed. The figures from Cancer Research UK produced in 2010-2011 estimated that 50% of people diagnosed with cancer in the UK will survive. But despite this, mistakes do still happen.
So what can you do if this has happened to you?
Last year, the NHS paid out damages of £12.6 million to 152 patients who had suffered from misdiagnosis of cancer, a figure that has led to the Chief Executive of Cancer Research UK to call on the government to train and employ more diagnostic staff in the NHS.
If you have suffered from misdiagnosis or delayed diagnosis of cancer, Jackson Lees are here to try to help. We can’t imagine how difficult a potential misdiagnosis has been for you and your family, but what we can do is to try to find answers for you. If the evidence points to a medical negligence claim, we will pursue it for you and that could mean compensation for you to help improve your quality of life, or to help provide financial stability for your family in the future.
New Drop-in Clinic
If you have been injured by a medical professional, we can help at one of our new drop-in clinics.
Where? 44/45 Hamilton Square, Birkenhead, CH41 5AR
When? Monday to Friday 9.00am to 5.00pm throughout February
No appointment necessary, just turn up and you will be seen by one of our specialist Medical Negligence lawyers. For free confidential advice.
For a free consultation with one of our legal team about cancer misdiagnosis claims, please click here for a call back or message us your enquiry.