Due to a breakdown of communication, the scans taken in 2019 were not passed on to Margaret Jones’ oncologist – meaning her lung cancer was not diagnosed for four years.
“We are so angry and lost without our mum,” said her daughter, Karen.
“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.”
After Margaret was diagnosed with breast cancer, Spire Hospital Portsmouth referred her for a CT scan at GenesisCare in Portsmouth in February 2019, while she was being prepared for radiotherapy.
The scan revealed a cause for concern in her right lung – but due to failings in GenesisCare’s internal processes, this was never passed on, the family’s lawyers say.
They added that had Margaret’s cancer been identified at this stage, medical evidence supports that it would most likely have been treatable.
Margaret was eventually diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer in December 2023, which by then had spread to her brain and bones.
She experienced significant suffering and loss of mobility as her condition deteriorated, and the grandmother of 10 – also mother to two daughters and a son – died in August this year, aged 76.
Margaret Jones (Image: Supplied)
Karen said: “Mum put her absolute faith in the medical profession, she would never have doubted what the professionals told her.
“What has happened here is a catastrophic failure and was utterly devastating for her to find out about.”
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GenesisCare has launched an internal investigation and has referred itself to the Care Quality Commission.
The probe has yet to determine how the scan results were not passed on due to missing emails and medical records.
GenesisCare said that due to the lack of an audit trail and the amount of time which has passed since 2019, it cannot be certain as to what happened.
In a statement, 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.”
