Trust Admits Failing To Monitor Or Undertake Surgery On Cyst

A mother-of-seven who experienced multiple failings in care which culminated in an originally benign ovarian cyst being confirmed as cancerous has taken a step forward in her fight for justice after the NHS Trust involved admitted liability in relation to her case.

Theresa Finter, 42, from Bradford, was admitted to the accident and emergency department at Bradford Royal Infirmary with abdominal pain in April 2016 and, while an ovarian mass was identified on imaging, no follow up appointment was arranged.

As a result, the mass continued to grow and further delays meant that surgery to remove it did not occur until March 2017. After the surgery Theresa was hit with the devastating news that the mass was cancerous and the cancer had also spread.

Following the problems, an investigation was conducted by Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. The final report outlined a range of failings, including a failure to recognise and monitor the borderline left ovarian cyst in 2012 when it was originally identified, as well as the subsequent delay in arranging surgery to remove it.

As a result of the report, Mrs Finter instructed specialist medical negligence lawyers at Irwin Mitchell to help her gain justice regarding the problems. Now, after the legal experts secured her an admission of liability related to her care, she has revealed hopes that lessons will be learned from her case.

Katie Warner, the medical negligence lawyer at Irwin Mitchell’s Leeds office representing Theresa, said: 

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“This is a truly devastating case in which a number of very serious concerns have been raised by the subsequent investigation.

“While the admission of liability is an important step forward in this case, we are now determined to ensure that our client gets the financial support and justice she deserves following the traumatic series of events she has been through.

“The NHS has a fundamental priority to put the safety and welfare of patients first and this is a terrible case in which that has not happened. Lessons must be learned so that the issues faced by Mrs Finter are simply never repeated again.” Katie Warner - Associate Solicitor

Since being diagnosed, Theresa has been through several gruelling chemotherapy sessions which have taken their toll physically and emotionally.  She is currently waiting for her treatment to recommence after a short break.

Theresa, who has been married to her husband Robert for seven years, said: “It remains very hard to take that there were so many missed opportunities to help me and I’m still coming to terms with everything I’ve faced.

“The admission from the NHS Trust is very welcome but taking this legal action was always about more than money – it is about ensuring that lessons are learned so that no one else suffers in the manner that I have.

“The report highlighted very clear failings and it is vital that such problems are never allowed to happen again.”

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