When a patient is incorrectly diagnosed, they can be left in unnecessary pain, and NHS trusts across the country have had to pay out millions in compensation over the past few years.

Figures obtained by Medical Negligence Assist found that, since 2019, NHS Trusts in Devon have had to pay out over £17m to patients who have lodged claims following a misdiagnosis.

Gareth Lloyd, medical negligence solicitor for JF Law (which owns the Medical Negligence Assist brand), 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.

A person affected by misdiagnosis can, in some cases, make a medical negligence claim against the NHS. 

Compensation is covered by insurance policies, meaning frontline care is unaffected by negligence claims. 

Royal Devon University Healthcare and Torbay & South Devon NHS Foundation Trusts provide community services and care for local people in Devon from several hospital sites.

From 2019 to 2024, 113 claims regarding misdiagnoses were lodged against Devon NHS Trusts, 70 of which were settled. 

The lowest number of claims came in 2019/20 when 13 claims were made against the Trusts.

Two years later, this number increased to 27 claims.

The trusts have seen the number of claims drop over the past year compared to 2022/23, with a total of 23.

The government department also revealed the most common injuries and outcomes that resulted from misdiagnosis claims against Devon NHS Trusts.

The most common outcome for misdiagnosis claims was unnecessary pain, which was lodged 19 times, with the trusts paying £258,602 in compensation, followed by additional operations, which saw 5 claims submitted.

Speaking to Medical Negligence Assist, Gareth Lloyd said: “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 several 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.”

Medical Negligence Assist offers support to patients who may have suffered harm as a result of a misdiagnosis and can see if they have grounds to submit a claim.

They operate a 24-hour helpline and claim online form, which you can access on their website.