Delayed Diagnosis of Chest Condition Requiring Treatment
D had a history of chest problems, having suffered from asthma since the age of 3. Between 2006 and 2008, he was investigated at hospital due to having a cough and recurrent chest infections and was told scans performed showed no evidence of bronchiectasis, a long-term condition where the airways of the lungs become widened, leading to a build-up of excess mucus that can make the lungs more vulnerable to infection.
Over the next 10 years, D was managed by his GP who referred him back to hospital in 2018, due to worsening breathlessness and a productive cough. A chest CT scan was performed in December 2018. This was originally reported as showing no evidence of bronchiectasis but 10 months later, after an external audit, an addendum was added diagnosing bilateral bronchiectasis.
Although this diagnosis was made in October 2019, he was not seen in clinic until August 2020 when his treatment was changed which brought above an improvement in his condition.
We brought a claim for D on the basis that firstly, the scan of December 2018 should have been reported initially as showing bronchiectasis and secondly, once this condition had been diagnosed, D’s treatment should have been changed within a couple of months, not 10 months later. D therefore suffered unnecessarily for much longer than he should have, with an increased cough, which was harder to expectorate than it should have been, an increased number of infections and increased breathlessness.
The hospital admitted it had provided substandard treatment at the earliest opportunity and the claim was settled for a 5 figure sum shortly thereafter.
If you are concerned you or a family member may have received negligent treatment and would like some free, no obligation advice, please contact us on 01642 231110 to speak to one of our solicitors.
Kathryn Watson, February 2023