Bristol cancer survivor sues NHS trust over claim it made test mistake

Five-years-ago the death of Big Brother star Jade Goody shocked the nation after it was revealed doctors missed critical warning signs of her cervical cancer.

This prompted a wave of women undergoing cervical smear tests in what charities termed 'the Jade effect'.

Among the thousands going for tests was Charlotte Brown, of Pucklechurch,

But despite having the correct examinations she claims her smear test was wrongly reported as normal when there were abnormalities.

The mother-of-two is now suing the North Bristol NHS Trust and is calling for new rules to be introduced which will see stricter double-checking of test results.

Two years after her initial test, in 2010 she returned to her GP with worrying symptoms. Further medical testing revealed she had cervical cancer.

Ms Brown said: "I passed out when the doctors told me, I was very scared. I had two children aged five and four at the time and I had separated from my husband so I was worried about who would look after my children."

She endured invasive surgery and weeks of gruelling radiotherapy and chemotherapy before being told the news she had beaten the cancer.

Ms Brown said although this was a huge relief she was told the treatment had caused long-term health problems, including not being able to have more children.

And she had developed a condition called lymphedema which causes her legs to swell, resulting in mobility problems.

Due to the emotional and physical strain on her life, she had to give up her job as a support worker for the elderly and people with disabilities.

Ms Brown, now 37, who lives with her children Bill, 10 and Madeline, eight, said: "The whole ordeal has had a huge physical and emotional impact on me. I go for regular smear tests and it's distressing to know that abnormalities were there but these were not reported.

"I know that mistakes will always happen but making the screening system safer by ensuring tests are thoroughly double checked could help to capture more cases where errors have been made. This in turn could help to ensure more women at risk of cervical cancer get the treatment they urgently need."

Angharad Hughes, Charlotte's medical negligence solicitor at law firm JMW, said: "The screening process does involve smear tests being double-checked. However the second 'rapid review' check is done very quickly, meaning there is greater room for error. As a safety net to pick up cases that were missed on the first check it is not ideal."

A trust spokeswoman said: "We are aware of Ms Brown's case but due to ongoing legal proceedings it would be inappropriate for us to comment on the matter at this time."

This article is courtesy from The Bristol Post.