Six figure settlement involving rare nose cancer at Lewisham Hospital
Lauren had been suffering with sinusitis, loss of taste, loss of smell and increasing headaches. She was referred by her GP to the ENT department at Lewisham Hospital. A CT scan was arranged and took place on 1 April. The scan was reported on the very next day and determined that Lauren was suffering from a polyp. In fact the scan was highly suspicious for malignancy and Lauren should have been contacted ASAP for a follow up appointment and a biopsy within 14 days. As it was, Lauren was not seen for follow up until November and was advised to have surgery to remove the polyp in December. During the operation it became clear to the surgeon that something was not right. A biopsy was taken and in January the following year, Lauren was given the devastating news that she suffering from cancer. In addition it became clear that this had been obvious since the previous April, when a diagnosis should have been made.
Initially the Defendant denied all liability but made an offer of £5,000 to settle the claim. This was swiftly rejected. Following service of proceedings the Defendant admitted they had made mistakes but denied that they had made any difference. It was not until after expert reports had been exchanged and our experts met with the Defendant's experts to discuss matters, that finally it was admitted that Lauren's life expectancy was reduced due to the substandard treatment provided. Even then, arguments persisted as to by how much Lauren's life expectancy had been reduced, and it took a mediation, only two months prior to trial, for the Defendants to make a substantial offer that properly compensated Lauren for her pain and suffering, the treatment she will now require and the losses that will be incurred due to her prognosis.
At the end of the case Lauren commented "I would like to say a big thank you to mark and his team for all their help and for the professional way they treated the whole situation. In particular I want to thank Mark for his caring and personal touch and the way his team cared and supported me through the whole case."
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