"The lack of care by Homerton University Hospital, Hackney, London"

My best friend had prostate trouble and was sent by the Homerton to St.Bart's for radio therapy (31 sessions) in October last year. The treatment went fine but about January of this year he began to have very bad pains in his stomach. He returned to the Homerton several times but was told that his PSI was less than 1% and that the pains were part of the healing process.

I brought him to his Consultant and to A&E several times over the next three months and on every occasion was assured that things would settle down. In early May this year things got so bad that we insisted that a doctor come down to A&E and check him. This doctor asked if we knew what the result of the final CAT scan was (there was nothing on file). What CAT scan? They brought him immediately for a scan.

It turned out that my friend had cancer of the liver, the spleen and the spine that a CAT scan would have picked up if given. He had been dealing with these cancers with only Paracetamol for over three months. He died three days later.

I doubt if a scan would have prolonged his life but at least he could have been treated for the pain. His Executor was not inclined "to make a fuss" so the whole sorry affair was ignored.