Dad died after crucial cancer check-up letter lay unopened at NHS hospital for NINE MONTHS
Before his death William Scally blasted: 'They’ve given me a death sentence.'
A DAUGHTER is taking legal action after her dad died when his crucial cancer check-up letter was left lying around a hospital unopened for NINE MONTHS.
William Scally, 67, was in remission from lung cancer when NHS bosses lost the sealed internal letter that was supposed to advise him about future appointments.
It meant the pensioner’s illness returned undetected allowing it to spread to his other lung and stomach and become untreatable.
He was given just six months to live but died after just one on December 29.
Hospital bosses are probing claims the alleged blunder stopped the retired builder from getting crucial check-ups, despite him ringing daily to ask when he should be seen.
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Furious daughter, Charlotte Holt-Brown, 28, blasted: “We have a meeting with the hospital and if it's not satisfactory we plan to sue them.
"My dad would have wanted it taking further.
"It was so hard. We watched him die, it was horrible. He lost his speech, he literally deteriorated hour by hour. No one should have had to go through what we did.
“I’m so angry, that takes over the grief. I’m so upset at the moment thinking about my dad. They are not going to get away with what they have done.
We watched him die, it was horrible.
Charlotte Holt-Brown
“I believe he has had his life cut short. He could have had scans in February March and they could have caught this early.
“I’m heartbroken. This wouldn’t happen if the doctors had done their job, we could have started the treatment months and months ago.
“I am 100 per cent sure if this letter had been opened when it arrived, in January, he would have had his check-ups and everything would have been ok.”
Charlotte, of South Ockenden, Essex, added: “He was ringing them up every day and they kept saying that they hadn’t had this note.
“This went on for months. He should have had a CAT scan after the chemotherapy, that would have been the proper treatment.”
William endured a major operation at St Bartholomew's Hospital , London, and gruelling chemotherapy after being diagnosed with lung cancer in August 2015.
A chance CAT scan caught the disease early and after going into remission in January 2016 he was told follow up appointments were vital to monitor his condition.
He claims his doctor wrote a letter to another consultant [name provided] explaining he would need regular check-ups at his local Queen’s Hospital in Romford, Essex.
But despite constantly ringing the hospital to find out what was happening the dad-of-two claims he was repeatedly told they had no record of him.
Medics rushed grandad-of-four William in for a CAT scan which revealed the crushing diagnosis.
He was told the cancer was back and when he returned from resort Halkidiki break he had just six months left to live, in November.
He died in December after deteriorating quickly.
They’ve given me a death sentence.
William Scally
Before his death furious William, of Dagenham, blasted: “They’ve given me a death sentence.
"I’m not going to see my grandchildren grow up, I can barely get up the stairs I’ve got so bad.
“When I read the letter it hit my like a bullet, they deal with this every day, how can they f*ck up like that.”
Bosses admitted to William a letter that would have reminded the ex-smoker about check-ups had been written and sent internally within the NHS, but had not been received.
The family believe it was left lying around one of the two hospitals.
They say they were told it was left lying on desk.
Following the awful diagnosis, the family have received a letter of apology from the hospital, and a spokesman has confirmed an urgent probe has been launched.
Matthew Hopkins, Chief Executive, said: “I am very saddened to hear that Mr Scally has died.
“We are extremely sorry for the distress caused to his family. A follow-up appointment should have been arranged and it’s unacceptable that this did not happen for several months.
“Before his death, we apologised to Mr Scally and his family and explained the outcome of our internal investigation, offering them the opportunity to meet with us and discuss this in more detail.
“We are changing our internal processes to ensure that they are robust and prevent this from happening again.”
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