Our client was a hardworking father and husband. He attended his GP with rectal bleeding. He reported blood in the toilet bowl. The GP did not ask our client about family history, the frequency of his stools and he did not ask if the frequency was a new symptom or if it had started at around the time of the onset of his rectal bleeding.
In fact our client had loose stools, an increase of urgency together with cramps and spasms. These symptoms had been ongoing for some time and coincided with the onset of his rectal bleeding.
In addition, our client had a family history of bowel difficulties, including death in the family due to bowel cancer.
This was a difficult case due to the fact that the case rested upon this one attendance at the GP but the GP did not abide by the relevant NICE referral guidelines. He had done nothing to rule out serious pathology. Bowel cancer should have been a differential diagnosis.
After a significant legal battle, we were successful in securing substantial damages for our client.
Sadly, as a result of the delayed diagnosis of his bowel cancer, our client’s prognosis was poor but he told us that he was glad that his family would be financially secure as a result of the successful legal action.