NHS cancer screening reporting errors led to mother’s death

The family of a mother who died of cervical cancer after being mistakenly asked twice has been mistakenly told they are being awarded private damages.

A false report of Louise Glaadele’s neck screening results was confirmed by the University Hospital of the Leicester NHS Trust, who died in March 2018 at the age of 38.

An internal review in 2017 found that a sample four years apart was not sufficient to produce reliable results, but Ms. Glaadell (mother of three boys) also spoke about the “inadequate” sample while she was still alive.

Her family is now given private payments, and the trust is apologizing for mistakes that have resulted in “devastating consequences.”

Ms. Glaadell, from Cossington, Leicestershire, was diagnosed with cervical cancer two years before her death. At that stage, it was too late to have the surgery.

Two neck screening tests conducted in 2008 and 2012 were reported negatively to her.

That meant that for four years she was given false sense of security about her health when she was developing cervical cancer, and that the opportunity to treat pre-cancer cells was passed.

In fact, following the Trust’s 2017 internal review, it was found that both samples were “inadequate” and that Ms Gleadell should be invited to repeat the test.

Ms. Gredell’s sisters, Laura and Claire Gredell, say their grief has been exacerbated by the knowledge that their sister’s death is avoidable.

Laura, 43, said:

“If she had been recalled in 2008 or 2012, it wouldn’t have led to cancer.

“If she had been treated for cell abnormalities before she developed cancer, she would not have died.”

Claire emphasized, knowing that the test results had been misreported, leading to her death.

The 40-year-old added, “It’s probably something I think about most days, if not every day.”

The sisters explained that they were devoted to three boys who were 2, 11 and 13 when Louise lost her mother.

“It was all about family to her,” they said.

Louise felt sick in late 2015, experiencing pain, abnormal bleeding and unexpected weight loss.

By February of the following year, she was so worried about her health that she personally paid for an ultrasound scan.

The findings led to further investigation, with a biopsy provided by the NHS making the diagnosis of cervical cancer in March.

Louise received chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and blackball therapy – this is internal radiation therapy. Initially, she recovered well, but after a few months she developed new symptoms.

Towards the end of 2016, doctors told her that the illness was terminally ill.

The donation caused Louise to travel abroad for German immunotherapy, but ultimately did not stop the fatal spread of cancer. She died at Rolos Hospice in Leicester.

The NHS routinely looks back and reviews test results after someone is diagnosed with cervical cancer.

After appointing lawyers to investigate the case, the family learned that Louise had known false reports of the results of the summer of 2017 before his death.

It is not clear why Louise was not said about this.

Gemma Lewis, a professional clinical negligence lawyer at Moosa-Duke Solicitors, revealed the situation and said trust should tell Louise.

“I didn’t think my family had to find it from me,” she added.

“People from medical backgrounds should have explained that they could answer follow-up questions.

“We should not conduct legal investigations to reveal the truth.”

“We’re committed to providing a range of services to our customers,” said Richard Mitchell, CEO of The Trust.

“Errors like Louise’s care are rare and have significantly improved neck screening since the nationwide introduction of human papillomavirus (HPV) testing in 2019.

“Locally, following the investigation into Louise’s care, we have strengthened the process of sharing the results of neck screening quality audits to ensure timely and open communication.

“Louis’ family may still have questions and we reached out to offer a meeting.”

Following the trust’s apology, Louise’s sisters emphasized that they encourage all women to go Cervical Screening.

According to the NHS, cervical screening is checking samples of cervical cells for certain types of human papillomavirus (HPV).

These types of HPV can cause abnormal changes in the cells of the cervix, and are referred to as the “high risk” type of HPV.

If a high-risk type of HPV is found during screening, the cell samples will also check for abnormal cell changes.

If abnormal cells are found, they can be treated and there is no chance of turning into cervical cancer.

Louise’s sisters added that they intend to take up the offer for a meeting of the trust.

Claire said: “We have a question that is not answered: how and why Louise was given the wrong information after his smear, and why, and after the diagnosis, when the mistake was emphasized, the family wasn’t told?

“The most difficult thing is seeing three boys without Louise’s mother. It’s heartbreaking – the wrong influence was terrible.”