Hospital test failed to detect cervical cancer

A woman has received an initial £65,000 compensation after she developed cervical cancer following an incorrect test analysis by her doctors.

The woman had a cervical smear test in 2004 and was given the all-clear. She was told to return in three years for another routine test. This was despite the test showing early signs of cancer.

She gave birth to two children and did not return for her next routine smear test until 2008. This test showed that she had developed cervical cancer.

She had to undergo a long and traumatic series of treatments to counteract the disease, and suffered from pain and discomfort throughout.

The treatment was successful in removing the cancerous cells, but she is now four times more likely to contract the disease again. She will also be unable to give birth naturally if she becomes pregnant, and will instead require a caesarean.

The woman sued the hospital for clinical negligence. Had her condition been identified at her smear test in 2004, she could have had treatment at a much earlier stage and would have stood a far better chance of completely removing the cancer.

The hospital admitted liability for the faulty analysis of the smear test.

The woman was awarded an initial £65,000 for the pain she had suffered. She will be allowed to request further compensation in the future if she develops cancer again as a result of the delay in treatment or suffers a miscarriage of an otherwise viable pregnancy.

Sarah Wealeans said: “It is unacceptable that hospital negligence led to this woman suffering unnecessarily. She will be affected for the rest of her life, always in fear that the cancer may come back. She has been rightly compensated for the suffering she has endured, all of which could well have been prevented.”

Please contact us if you would like more information about making a clinical negligence claim.