Claiming compensation for delayed diagnosis: The impact of discrimination.
Our top rated team deals with claims for compensation for delayed diagnosis throughout England and Wales. We offer a free consultation and No Win, No Fee funding. Call 0333 888 0412 or email us at [email protected]
We would all like to believe that in the 21st century discrimination does not have the same impact on society as it may have done 100 years ago. However, it is clear from recent news coverage and the cases we deal with on a day-to-day basis that there is still discrimination, often unconscious, which has led to delayed diagnosis.
The NHS has confirmed it is reviewing whether they should change their threshold for testing prostate cancer following commentary from Chris Hoy that he was considered too young for testing. When reflecting on cases we have handled at Slee Blackwell we believe that their review should consider the overall approach to all illness and not specifically prostate cancer.
Patients deemed to be too young for cancers that may match their symptoms are too often misdiagnosed or must persistently attend (at least four times) before receiving appropriate referral. We currently act for a young woman who had clear symptoms of a rare breast cancer but was told she was ‘too young’ and therefore the appropriate tests were not completed.
Common misdiagnoses in young people include infection, mental disorder, vertigo, glandular fever, sport injury or gastrointestinal issues.
Younger people most commonly present with fatigue, weight loss, skin changes, swelling, lumps or bumps and persistent unexplained pain.
It is a commonly accepted fact that the earlier cancer is found the better. Survival rate, available treatment and effectiveness are usually positively impacted by early discovery. The ‘too young’ brush off often means that early opportunities are missed and patients cancers progress to later stages and some to the point of being untreatable.
It is not only age that has been known to cause delays and mistreatment. The BBC published an article on 11 December 2024 highlighting the issues of misogyny in medical treatment.
Women that experience gender related health conditions are reportedly dismissed when asking for help. This means it can take years for women suffering from conditions such as endometriosis to get a diagnosis or help. Pain from such conditions can severely impact on everyday life and members of Westminster’s Women and Equalities Committee are calling for more investment and support for reproductive health conditions.
The Committee’s investigations found a “clear lack of awareness and understanding of women’s reproductive health conditions among primary healthcare practitioners.”
Our medical negligence team have dealt with a number of claims arising from failures in women’s reproductive healthcare. The team have dealt with claims for medical negligence from such things as: delay in diagnosis of endometriosis; missed diagnosis of ectopic pregnancy; retained cervical sutures; misplacement of an intrauterine contraceptive and failure to obtain informed consent in relation to pain, examination and surgery.
There would seem to be a clear link between certain ‘protected characteristics’ and some occurrences of medical negligence. If you believe you have received treatment which falls below the expected standard, or require guidance on seeking compensation for delayed diagnosis, then our specialist team will be happy to offer you a free consultation and provide details of No Win, No Fee funding.