Anne Shaw, 68, from Leeds, whose “whole life has completely changed,” said: “If I can stop one person from going through what I’ve been through because a second consultant has looked at the X-ray or the scan, cost savings to the trust would be huge.”
Woman whose cancer was missed twice calls for Anne's Rule
A TERMINALLY ill woman whose cancer was missed twice by clinicians is campaigning for the introduction of a change in scan assessments.
Anne’s Rule, as it has been dubbed, would require two radiologists, one of whom specialises in cancer, to check all scan results when clinicians suspect that the disease is present.
At the moment, it is only mammograms — X-rays of the breast used to diagnose breast cancer — that are reviewed by two radiologists as standard practice.
John Lowther of law firm Slater and Gordon supported her in securing a settlement from St James’s University Hospital and said that the rule “would significantly reduce risk, potentially saving lives and NHS resources.”
Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust apologised and has arranged a meeting to discuss Ms Shaw’s care.
The NHS is operating with a 29 per cent shortfall in clinical radiologists across Britain, which is contributing to delays.
Ms Shaw’s campaign also follows the case of an 11-year-old girl who was assessed by medics about 30 times and misdiagnosed with sickness bugs and migraines before being told she had a brain tumour.
Tia Gordon, from Northampton, ended up being admitted to hospital as an emergency despite previous trips to GPs, A&E and calls to NHS 111.
Her mother, Imogen Darby, had sought help with Tia’s migraines and vomiting for three years, before being told that the wait for an MRI scan would be at least eight months.
Cameron Miller of the Brain Tumour Charity said that for many brain tumour patients, “it simply takes too long to be diagnosed.”
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