A 60-year-old man was denied potentially life-saving treatment after a hospital failed to diagnose his liver cancer for five months.
Richard Excell, from Devon, was diagnosed with terminal liver cancer at Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital in December 2020. He was told that he could expect to live for up to a year without treatment, but with palliative immunotherapy treatment it could be longer.
An investigation by the national Ombudsman has found that scans showing signs of liver cancer in July 2020 were wrongly interpreted and not acted upon quickly enough. The Ombudsman found that staff should have diagnosed Mr Excell’s cancer about 20 weeks earlier than they did.
If that had happened, there is a possibility the cancer may not have been terminal, and it could have been treatable.
Mr Excell, a grandfather-of-one, said:
“Unfortunately it is what it is, there’s no point in trying to apportion blame now, it is something my family, friends and I have to live with. But I was very upset to find out that it should have been picked up months earlier and could have made a difference to my treatment.
“Aside from the physical and emotional implications, I still feel upset and frustrated. I can’t work anymore, I’m on a reduced salary and pension, so I’m not able to enjoy my time in the same way which, had this been picked up earlier, I hopefully would have been able to.
“This hasn’t just affected me, it’s affected my whole family, friends and indeed my employer, but they have all been brilliant in supporting me.”
Mr Excell previously worked as a project manager for a company that builds and installs chemotherapy prescribing systems across the UK. He even fitted the technology at Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital.
Due to his experience, when he noticed a lump on his neck, he suspected what the implications could be and went to his GP who referred him to the hospital.
A CT scan was taken in early July 2020 which showed liver abnormality and further tests were recommended. But while a full body scan was ordered in relation to the lump in his neck, no specific tests to investigate the liver were arranged.
The full body scan revealed a large lesion in Mr Excell’s liver which indicated primary cancer. More tests should have been ordered within two weeks.
However, staff didn’t identify the lesion as cancer and while another liver CT scan was recommended, it was not marked as urgent.
It took another two months for this test to be done and a further two months after that until Mr Excell received his diagnosis.
Mr Excell, continued:
“Due to my career, I’m familiar with clinical care services in the UK and I always thought that Royal Devon and Exeter were one of the best in the country. I even used to promote them as a flagship hospital to work with in cancer care.
“As such, I feel very let down by them and that some people appear to have not done their job properly. I try not to be angry at people because they are just trying to do their jobs and mistakes happen.
“I must also say that the liver specialist who broke the news to me has been a real hero and a shining light. The nurses and doctors who continue to deliver my treatment have also been brilliant.”
Mr Excell brought his complaint to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman who investigated.
Following the Ombudsman’s findings, the Trust has been asked to write to Mr Excell to acknowledge their failings and as a gesture provide him with the sum of £7,000, which they have done. The Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Trust had already taken steps to prevent this from happening again.
Ombudsman Rob Behrens said:
“When mistakes like this happen, the consequences for those affected can be life-threatening.
“Unfortunately, we will never know for sure if Mr Excell’s prognosis would have been different had his cancer been diagnosed earlier. But knowing there was a missed chance for potentially curative treatment can only have added further to his distress at what was already an extremely difficult time.
“It is vital in situations like this that lessons are learned and changes made to make sure no one else goes through the same thing.”
Read the case summary.