Failure to investigate symptoms delayed diagnosis of a spinal tumour

What happened

Mrs F had two appointments with a consultant neurologist who referred her back to her GP with no explanation for some of her symptoms. When Mrs F saw a different consultant neurologist five months later, a scan showed a tumour on her spine.

Mrs F had surgery but by the time the tumour was removed, she experienced physical difficulties, particularly with walking, which have not improved significantly since surgery.

What we found

When Mrs F's first consultant neurologist could not explain the numbness she was experiencing, he should have recognised that her symptoms were progressive and arranged for a scan of the whole of her spine. It was not appropriate for him to simply discharge Mrs F back to the care of her GP with a broad invitation to re‑refer her if the GP felt it necessary.

If the tumour had been diagnosed earlier, the outcome for Mrs F would probably have been significantly different. Although it is likely that Mrs F would still have been left with some physical problems, they would probably have been less severe.

Putting it right

The Trust and the first consultant neurologist apologised to Mrs F. The Trust paid her £8,000 in recognition of the additional physical difficulties caused by its failure to investigate her symptoms. It also agreed to prepare an action plan to make sure lessons have been learnt.