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  • Bowel Cancer Misdiagnosis Claims

Bowel Cancer Misdiagnosis Claims

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Bowel cancer is the fourth most common type of cancer in the UK. There are around 42,000 cases of bowel cancer diagnosed each year. If you or a loved one has had a bowel cancer misdiagnosis or delayed diagnosis, we’re here to help.

If you or a loved one has experienced negligent treatment, our medical negligence lawyers could help you make a claim for compensation.

Unfortunately, signs and symptoms are sometimes missed, such as changes in bowel habit or blood in your poo. That could mean you’re not signposted for further investigations such as:

  • A FIT test of a poo sample
  • Colonoscopy
  • Sigmoidoscopy
  • Bowel scan.

Bowel cancer is often misdiagnosed as a less serious illness or recognised at a point where it can’t be cured. Depending on where the cancer starts, bowel cancer can be referred to as colon cancer or rectal cancer.

You may be able to claim compensation if the medical professional who treated you didn’t:

  • Recognise the symptoms of bowel cancer
  • Diagnose your illness correctly
  • Refer you for specialist treatment
  • Conduct the correct tests to discover/monitor your bowel cancer.

In addition to helping you claim compensation, we’ll set you up with one of our Support and Rehabilitation co-ordinators. As trained clinical specialists, they’ll find you support and treatment local to you. We also work closely with Bowel Cancer UK, who’ll be able to offer added support and guidance.

Our expert solicitors will also see if your claim can be funded by a no win no fee agreement*. If so, you don’t have to pay a thing if your case is unsuccessful.

For a free initial consultation about making a bowel cancer claim, contact us online and we'll get back to you.

The catch up with cancer movement

Our legal experts, along with experts from other fields, have come together to create a webinar series that will look at several issues around cancer. From the lasting effects of the COVID-19 pandemic to the cancer treatment journey. 

Our most recent catch up to cancer movement webinar is available below, with previous webinars in the series available below as well.

 

Past catch up with cancer movement webinars:

  • Can we stop the potential collapse of cancer care services following Covid?

We also have other useful cancer webinars that aren't part of the series:

  • Primary Care, Cancer and Inequalities
Largest medical negligence team in the country
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Rachelle Mahapatra
Rachelle Mahapatra Partner Meet the team

Bowel Cancer Claims - More Information

Our medical negligence solicitors are here to help you claim compensation that can pay for:

  • Specialist private medical treatment
  • Rehabilitation
  • Loss of earnings
  • Expenses (e.g., travel costs and care costs).

We see your health as a priority, so we’ll act efficiently to get you the funds needed to access private healthcare. This can help you to get appointments a little faster than normal.

We’ll try and get you interim payments to pay for care before your claim has fully settled. These are only available if the person or organisation responsible for your negligence admits it.

We can only calculate how much compensation you’re entitled to once we understand the full impact on you. The full effects of bowel cancer misdiagnosis may only become clear when we know how successful any treatments have been.

If a loved one has died because of a delay in the diagnosis of bowel cancer, our lawyers can help you with:

  • Recovering compensation for their pain and suffering, to account for financial losses caused by their death, and to cover funeral expenses
  • Representing you at inquest
  • Getting you the answers and apology that you deserve from those responsible.

You might be able to claim if you’re the spouse or child of the person who’s unfortunately died. We can also help you make a claim if you’re the parent of a child under 18 or if you were financially dependent on the loved one who died.

There's normally a three-year time limit after the date of the death to make a claim. If your loved one had a post-mortem which discovered negligence, you’ll have three years from the date you learned of the findings. Find out more about time limits.

Our lawyers could also help you access a statutory bereavement award. This is a flat rate of £15,120 which is payable when a wrongful death has occurred. This is available if you’re the spouse, civil partner, or parent (if under 18) of the person who died.

After you’ve contacted us, we’ll set up a free initial consultation to discuss your case. We’ll discuss what funding options are available to you to pay for your claim. This includes the option of no win no fee agreements*.

We’ll get in touch with those responsible for your negligent treatment at an early stage to see if they accept the blame for your delayed diagnosis. If they accept responsibility, we’ll try to secure interim compensation payments for you. These can fund private medical care and ongoing expenses before your claim’s settled. Any interim payments will be taken out of your final compensation award.

Our experts will investigate your case in detail, gathering evidence from independent medical professionals. These experts evaluate what care you should’ve had and can determine any future implications to your health. They’ll also advise us on the care you’ll need in the future.

We’ll always try and negotiate claims out of court, keeping the process as short as we can to reduce your stress. However, if your opponent doesn’t accept responsibility or disagrees with the amount of compensation we feel you need, we’ll start court proceedings.

Even when trial dates have been set, claims are still often settled before reaching court. If your claim does need to go to court, we’ll be there to help you every step of the way. We’ll talk you through what’ll happen, so you feel as comfortable as possible.

You normally must make a claim within three years of becoming aware that you received negligent treatment. However, we urge you to get in touch as soon as possible so we can start the claim process and get you compensation.

We can also help you claim on behalf of your loved one who unfortunately passed away following negligent bowel cancer treatment. To make a claim in these circumstances, you have until the day before the third anniversary of their death to issue a claim at Court.

All the information you need about time limits for medical negligence claims are on our dedicated page.

We’ve offices around the UK, making sure there’s an expert local to you to help with your claim. We can also organise video or phone calls if that’s easier for you. Our team will always work in a way that best suits your needs.

Our medical negligence team is the largest of any law firm in the UK. Their expertise is recognised by The Legal 500, the largest independent legal guide in the UK. Year-in-year-out, they commend us for the quality of our work. One former client told them: “The individuals I have worked with from this team have all been diligent, honest, flexible, firm but fair, highly motivated, compassionate, sensitive and empathetic, and have operated with the highest level of integrity.”

Chambers and Partners, another independent legal guide, rank our medical negligence team as a Band 1 team. They’ve consistently ranked us in their top tier in their annual update.

As well as benefitting from our legal expertise, you’ll get access to our Support and Rehabilitation co-ordinators. They’ll offer you expert support suited to your needs throughout your claim, and after. They work with support services around the UK, which means you’ll get access to support local to you.

testicular cancer

The team at Irwin Mitchell have been exceptional to deal with. From day one they have been compassionate, understanding and accessible."

Client

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the symptoms of bowel cancer?

Bowel cancer starts when clumps of cells, often known as polyps, develop in the inner lining of the bowel. There are several warning signs that you may have bowel cancer, including:

  • Bleeding from the rectum
  • Blood in the stool
  • A persistent and unexplained change in bowel movements
  • Unexplained weight loss
  • Extreme fatigue for no obvious reason
  • A pain or lump in your abdomen.

Certain people have a higher risk of developing this sort of tumour, including:

  • Over 60s
  • Those with a family history of bowel cancer
  • Individuals with a diet high in red and processed meats
  • Smokers
  • People who drink alcohol frequently
  • Those classified as obese.

If bowel cancer is diagnosed early, there’s a much better chance of recovery. However, medical professionals often fail to recognise the warning signs of this condition.

If you’ve symptoms of bowel cancer, your doctor should refer you for the relevant tests so your condition can be diagnosed as soon as possible. If this isn’t done, the cancer might have the chance to develop.

If you visited a medical professional with your bowel cancer symptoms and no action was taken, or your signs were misdiagnosed, we could help you make a compensation claim. To find out more about how we can help, contact us today.

What are the common misdiagnoses of bowel cancer?

Unfortunately, bowel cancer sometimes goes undetected, giving the disease chance to spread to other organs. This can happen when bowel cancer is misdiagnosed as a condition with similar symptoms. When this happens, you could receive the wrong treatment which might have serious health effects.

We’ve previously represented people whose bowel cancer was misdiagnosed as:

  • Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)
  • Inflammatory Bowel Disease (Crohn’s Disease and Ulcerative Colitis)
  • Haemorrhoids
  • Appendicitis.

Medical professionals should be aware of the symptoms of bowel cancer and should always refer you for further tests to find out if you have it. Early diagnosis is key to successfully treating bowel cancer and the person treating you should follow procedures to ensure this happens.

Our lawyers are here to help if you or your loved one’s bowel cancer was misdiagnosed. Contact us today for a free initial consultation.

Can I make a no win no fee claim?

Yes, many of our cases are funded by a no win no fee agreement. This means that there’s no financial risk* to you when making a compensation claim.

At the start of your case, we’ll discuss funding options with you, advising you which we think is most suitable. If you’ve legal expenses insurance (LEI) or are covered by a trade union policy, these may be best for you. LEI is included in many household insurance policies, so it’s worth checking whether you’re already covered.

If we think you’re best supported by a no win no fee agreement, we’ll explain the process clearly. This involves setting up an insurance policy that’ll protect you, at no cost to you. You’ll only have to pay anything when your claim is successful – the other party will pay most of our fees. 

Please visit our no win no fee page for more information on how it works.

Read More FAQs

Related Information - Bowel Cancer Misdiagnosis Claims

Rehabilitation - we believe that rehabilitation is key when it comes to your recovery
Cancer Claims - we've helped people after they’ve suffered negligent treatment for a variety of cancer types
Support and Rehabilitation Coordinators - our Support and Rehabilitation team can help you access the healthcare and support you need
Asset Management - we'll help invest your compensation so you can get the most out of it

Scottish Flag All Scottish cases will be handled by the Scottish law firm with which we are associated, Irwin Mitchell Scotland LLP. The law relating to funding is different in Scotland and you will receive separate advice about what that means as well as a separate funding agreement.

 

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