Curtis Law secure six-figure settlement for a widow after The Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust fail to identify a large malignant mass on reviewing a CT mastoid scan.

A 53 year old man has been awarded a six figure settlement after the death of his wife due to a delay in identifying a form of brain cancer that if treated in a timely manner would have led to a cure.

The deceased suffered with ongoing ear pain and discharge and following unsuccessful investigations her GP made an urgent referral in 2015 for suspected head and neck cancer.

In July 2015 the deceased underwent CT mastoid at North Manchester General Hospital following which she was informed that she required none urgent mastoid surgery and was put on a waiting list.

In the meantime her symptoms worsened, she developed numbness in the face, headaches, pain and weight loss. In 2016 the deceased reported hoarseness of voice, pain, swelling, choking and an inability to swallow. She underwent further CT of her neck and thorax with contrast which revealed a malignant left skull base.

Despite neoadjuvant chemotherapy and chemotherapy combined with radiotherapy she died on the 8th March 2017. It was accepted that had treatment been started following the 2015 CT scan, whilst she would have required chemotherapy, she would have been cured of her cancer.

Whilst no award will bring the deceased back our client received an apology from the Trust and the award has enabled him to remain in the family home.

Lynne Ainsworth, Law Society Clinical Negligence accredited senior solicitor in the Clinical Negligence department at Curtis Law, represented the client in this case which settled at a Joint Settlement Meeting thus avoiding the need for the Claimant to relive his loss at trial.

Chris Gutteridge instructed as Counsel.