Specialist Medical Negligence Lawyers Instructed To Investigate Family’s Concerns About His Treatment

The wife of a Driffield man who died earlier this year after receiving treatment for lung cancer is marking the special month-long campaign related to the illness by speaking out about his care.

Robert Walton, who died aged 60 in September this year, was originally informed he had a shadow on his right lung at the end of 2014 and after a range of tests he agreed to undergo surgery on the mass at Castle Hill Hospital in June 2016.

Following the procedure, he was advised at an appointment that the cancerous cells had been removed and no further treatment was required. However, across the next few months he started to develop pain around the site of the wound.

While he was advised in December 2016 that the pain would improve, it continued and in June 2017 his GP arranged for him to have a CT scan at Hull Royal Infirmary. On the same day, he was left devastated once again as he was informed there was a recurrence of his lung cancer.

Following the problems, Robert and his family went on to instruct specialist medical negligence lawyers at Irwin Mitchell to investigate his care. Lawyers have now written to Hull and East Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust as they seek answers in relation to his treatment on behalf of the family. 

Now, with Lung Cancer Awareness Month taking place across November, Robert’s widow Andrea is calling on the NHS and healthcare providers to ensure they are aware of the warning signs of the terrible illness.

Tracy Tai, the specialist lawyer at Irwin Mitchell’s Leeds office who represents the family, said:

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“The family have naturally been left devastated by their loss. They have told us of their concerns regarding his treatment and the fact that the cancer returned after they had believed the offending cells had been removed.

“Lung Cancer Awareness Month is an important time to reflect on this condition and the impact it has on lives.

“We are continuing to investigate Robert’s care and while nothing will make up for their loss, we hope that if any issues are identified that lessons can be learned to improve care for others in the future.” Tracy Tai - Associate Solicitor

His wife Andrea, 59, said: “It’s only months since Robert died and the entire family is still trying to come to terms with the loss. 

“One of the particularly difficult aspects about his death is undoubtedly the fact that we believed his cancerous cells had been removed and that he would get better. To find out that just months later he had cancer again just destroyed us. 

“Lung Cancer Awareness Month is a fitting time to highlight what happened to Robert.

“Nothing will bring him back, but we hope that we can honour his memory by speaking out and investigating his treatment to see if any lessons can be learned. We would hate for anyone else to go through what we have.”

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