Cervical cancer claim: settlement following delayed diagnosis and misreported colposcopy at Gloucestershire Royal Hospital | Fieldfisher
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Case Study

Cervical cancer claim: settlement following delayed diagnosis and misreported colposcopy at Gloucestershire Royal Hospital

A woman with long, straight dark brown hair is smiling at the camera. She is wearing a black short-sleeve shirt and stands in front of a window with a blurry cityscape background.
Christina Gardiner
A woman with long blonde hair smiles at the camera. She is wearing a light-colored blouse with ruffled shoulders and stands against a blurred outdoor background.
Iona Meeres-Young
 
Microscopic view of blue-stained HeLa cells, showing an irregular arrangement with varying shapes and sizes. The background is light and slightly blurred, highlighting the cell details, which include prominent nuclei and cytoplasm.
Christina Gardiner and Iona Meeres-Young represented Ms PC in a medical negligence claim against Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.

The case concerned a delay in diagnosing cervical cancer. During the course of the claim, the defendant admitted that they had misreported a colposcopy performed, which should have been recorded as inadequate rather than normal. They admitted that this would have led to a discussion at a multidisciplinary team meeting, consideration of a repeat colposcopy and test of cure. This error meant there was a delay in diagnosing Ms PC's cervical cancer. When she was eventually diagnosed she was required to undergo radical hysterectomy with bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy and pelvic node dissection. She was also required to undergo chemo-radiotherapy and suffered significant debilitating side effects as a result.

Had a prompt diagnosis been made, Ms PC would have avoided such radical surgery and would have avoided pelvic node dissection and chemo-radiotherapy.

The case settled for a six figure sum shortly before trial.

Christina and Iona have a special interest in cervical cancer claims, recognising the vital importance of accuracy in cervical cancer screening, designed to minimise the chances of women developing cervical cancer.

For those who diligently attend such screening, such as Ms PC, it is essential that smear tests and colposcopies are accurately reported to protect patients from serious adverse consequences.

Ms PC thanked the team at Fieldfisher 'for all the hard work and dedication which you have put into my case… you have made the past three years as easy as is realistically possible, and not once did I doubt that you would do the best for me… you have acted professionally and very sensitively throughout, which has helped me to regain some trust in people'.

Contact us

For further information about delayed cervical cancer diagnosis claims and medical negligence claims, please call Iona Meeres-Young on 03304606769 or email iona.meeres-young@fieldfisher.com.

Alternatively

All enquiries are completely free of charge and we will investigate all funding options for you including no win no fee. Find out more about no win no fee claims.