Devastated family blast GenesisCare over 'catastrophic' failings after mother diagnosed with cancer four years too late

Margaret Jones, from Fareham, was diagnosed with lung cancer back in December 2023 despite having two previous scans that highlighted cause for concern.

Her daughters say that, by the time she was told, the cancer had spread to her brain and bones which ultimately caused her death in August 2024 at the age of 76.

Lawyers have now been instructed over Margaret's death as her daughters believe that if her health care providers, GenesisCare, acted sooner, their mum may still be alive.

Her daughter Karen said: "We are so angry, devastated, and absolutely lost without our mum.

"She was the centre of our world, and to lose her in such a preventable way, and to know her cancer was treatable, has destroyed our whole world.

"This need not have happened.

“Mum put her absolute faith in the medical profession; she would never have doubted what the professionals told her.

"But what has happened here is a catastrophic failure, and was utterly devastating for her to find out about.”

Margaret, who was a grandmother to ten, was referred to GenesisCare, an oncology treatment provider, by Spire Hospital Portsmouth, where she paid privately for her care.

Margaret had a preparatory CT scan prior to a course of radiotherapy she was due to undergo for breast cancer which she had previously been diagnosed with. The scan showed that there was a further area of concern in her upper right lung.

It is claimed that this cause for concern in her lung was not relayed to Margaret’s oncologist which resulted in it not being escalated.

In 2022 Margaret had an NHS chest X ray after suffering a continuous cough and the results came back ‘clear’ - but it was later revealed that the tumour was visible on this scan too.

She was finally diagnosed in December 2023 when she returned to seek medical attention after experiencing weight loss and a lack of appetite.

It was during this medical appointment that she received her diagnosis - and when doctors disclosed that her cancer could have been caught earlier.

Her other daughter, Sarah, added: "Mum didn’t want this to happen to anyone else, so we as a family are speaking out in the hope we can stop this happening again, to save even one more family being torn apart as we have been."

GenesisCare, which has referred itself to the CQC over its role in the case, is carrying out an internal investigation into what happened.

However, lawyers for Margaret's family say this has been disrupted due to a lack of an audit trail, missing medical records, and missing emails.

Karen said: "I don’t know how an organisation can operate without an audit trail, particularly one that deals in life or death information.

"This way of working is not fit for purpose. They have fundamentally failed our mum.

"The failures are just so basic.

"When you’re passing on information of this kind of importance, you request an email read receipt, to make sure it has been passed on.

"The continuity of information is absolutely critical in situations like this.

"Without proper processes in place, this could absolutely happen again, and that is really terrifying for us.

"We need proper answers so we can fix the root cause of what happened here."

Sarah added: "We asked to see her medical records, and this showed us it had been the case.

"As a family, we really want more people to be aware they can ask for their medical records and see copies of their scans.

“Our family will never recover from what has happened to us. Our mum was absolutely everything to us, she was amazing, and her grandchildren cannot understand that they will never see her again.

"When the doorbell rings, my youngest child asks, ‘is that nanny?’ It’s completely devastating.”

Margaret’s family are being supported by law firm Slater and Gordon.

Nicole Jackson, associate and clinical negligence specialist, said: "This is an absolutely shocking failure of process which has had the most tragic consequences.

"Margaret’s family are struggling to comprehend what went wrong, and have to live with the knowledge that had the tumour been acted upon, their mother would most probably still be here with them today.

"There are many questions to answer here, and we will support them in finding the truth.

"It is vital that we establish how these failings were allowed to occur and what lessons must be learned, to support the family in ensuring this never happens again."

A spokesperson for GenesisCare said: "We offer our deepest condolences to the family and friends of Margaret Jones.

"The circumstances surrounding the passing of Margaret remain under investigation to identify any failings and ensure lessons are learned where required.

"Unfortunately, we are not able to provide any further comment at this time as legal proceedings have been intimated and the matter is in the hands of lawyers."