MILLIONS of pounds in compensation had to be paid out to Barnsley Hospital patients who lodged official complaints having been misdiagnosed.
According to a Freedom of Information request, a total of £7.22m has had to be dished out to complainants since 2019/20.
The most claimed-for issue was unnecessary pain - which saw a total of 15 people submit compensation cases - and more than £900,000 was paid as a result.
The reasons for misdiagnosis varies from case to case, but NHS Resolution highlights consistent failings including diagnostic errors, particularly early incorrect diagnoses of soft-tissue injuries.
In 2023, the British Medical Journal (BMJ) conducted a study which found that around one in 18 patients in primary and secondary care are affected by misdiagnosis.
The BMJ also found that misdiagnosed cancers, strokes and heart attacks were among the most serious cases, often leading to life-altering consequences or death.
Medical negligence solicitor Gareth Lloyd said: “Misdiagnosis is an all-embracing clinical negligence case type and covers a wide range of clinical situations from the simple diagnosis of a fracture to potentially fatal cancer diagnoses.
“These cases can be a matter of life and death, and whether someone lives or dies will be determined by the success of the diagnosis.
“With an overstretched NHS, increasing patient numbers, and mounting pressures on staff, misdiagnoses are becoming alarmingly common.
“When healthcare professionals fail to diagnose an illness or injury correctly, patients can endure painful and potentially fatal consequences due to not receiving the right medical care and treatment.
“Misdiagnosis can have a huge impact on people’s lives - a common case of misdiagnosis is a scaphoid fracture, where typically someone uses their hands to break a fall.
“I’ve had a specific case in the past whereby a man in his early twenties suffered a fractured scaphoid that was initially diagnosed as a sprained wrist.
“As it went undiagnosed for a number of months, the client ended up having a fixation of his wrist, resulting in him not being able to use the hand and, as a consequence, has not been able to continue with his job.”
During the same period, errors made while performing surgery at at the hospital also resulted in more than £6.59m - from 86 claims - being paid out to impacted patients.
A Barnsley Hospital spokesperson said the trust is not unique in receiving claims.
“We cannot comment on individual claims, but we note that a number of the claims are historic.
“We will always strive to learn lessons to improve the care we provide for our patients.”
