Sedgley, UK – 28th February, 2017: Wayne Evans developed an abnormal growth that turned into a deadly bowel tumour - but he had no idea the disease was growing inside him for three years.
The 41-year-old was sent for tests in 2010 after complaining of severe stomach cramps. But after hearing nothing back from his GP, he assumed his results were normal.
Three years later, Wayne began to deteriorate and after visiting his doctors, he was left shocked to be a told a mass was found on his previous scan and he required urgent care. The tumour was now inoperable and despite undergoing chemotherapy to treat his cancer, the doting dad died.
Now, the GP practice - Ridgeway Surgery in Sedgley - has agreed to pay a six-figure damages settlement to his wife, Clare, after his scan results were filed away.
Clare, 45, a sales assistant, said: "My life with never be the same, I cannot accept that Wayne's fate lay on a piece of paper for three years.
"He was forgotten about and it wasn't until he went back in pain that alarm bells started ringing. Wayne was shocked when his doctor asked if he'd had any follow up appointments as he'd never been contacted after the initial tests. His tumour had been left to grow for three years and by the time they tried to operate, it was far too advanced and he died in 2013. If it had been removed when he had the first tests, it's likely he would be cancer free today and we wouldn't have such a gaping hole in our family."
In a legal case against the practice, medical negligence specialists Hudgell Solicitors alleged that the tests in 2008 – which showed the abnormal growth – had been wrongly filed away at the GP Practice after being sent from Russells Hall Hospital, Dudley.
Clare says life for her and their daughters Natasha, 23, and Chloe, 19, will never be the same again, and is speaking about the loss of her husband in the hope it will warn others not rely on doctors to highlight concerns.
She added: "I don't want anyone else to go through what we've been through. Our family is no longer complete, we were married for 20 years and I want others to know what happened to Wayne and that you can't always wait and rely on your GP to come back to you. We were brought up with the belief that your GP would be in touch if there was a problem after you have had tests, and we thought no news was good news. The letter had been filed and we were never told about the polyp growth. I know everybody makes mistakes, but this is a huge mistake to make. I have worked in a GP surgery myself before and you simply do not make mistakes like that. It makes it even worse that it was an error. In any circumstances, cancer is bad, but to know it had been caught early and could have been prevented makes me distraught. These are people's lives you're dealing with and our lives will never be the same again. As a family, we are broken."
Wayne and Clare's worst fears came true when his symptoms worsened before his operation in 2011.
Clare said: "When they told me it was an inoperable tumour, I just remember collapsing and falling to the floor. I was waiting for him on the ward and he had to have a colostomy bag from that point onwards. We got him home just before Christmas and the cancer had spread to his lung. Wayne had a heart attack after the first lot of chemotherapy in February 2012 and I thought I had lost him then, then he later had a seizure. As it continued, the doctors thought the tumour had reduced in size. I refused to believe it was terminal because he was such a strong and fit man."
Wayne passed away at home, with Clare, Natasha and Chloe by his side, in May.
Hudgell Solicitors secured the six-figure settlement for Clare and her family, which takes into account the avoidable pain and suffering Wayne endured and the impact it had on their lives.
Sam Thompson, Chartered Legal Executive said: "This is a truly tragic case in which a basic error has led to a family losing a much-loved husband and father. He was a committed family man taken from those who loved him. In the months leading up to his death, he suffered considerable side effects from the chemotherapy and intestinal obstructions. We are glad the GP surgery has finally agreed to pay a substantial damages settlement in reflection of their loss."
Wayne launched the legal process himself in 2012 after learning of his diagnosis and the error made when not informing him he needed the growth removing.
Source: http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/devoted-dad-two-dies-after-9935861