A coroner has criticised an NHS trust for its “neglect” of a patient after it failed to identify her lung cancer sooner, despite monitoring her condition for more than three years. Anne Lorraine Dyson, 68, died at St Benedict’s Hospice in Sunderland on February 24, four months after being diagnosed with terminal metastatic lung cancer.
Ms Dyson had been under investigation for lung disease by South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust since September 2021. Scans showed an increased growth in her lung from October 2023, but a CT scan was wrongly interpreted on March 25, 2024, delaying diagnosis until it was too late for successful treatment.
An inquest concluded that Ms Dyson died of “natural causes contributed to by neglect”. Senior coroner David Place said there was “no consistent approach” for radiologists at the trust, which could lead to “confirmation bias”. He noted radiologists were not provided with a summary of symptoms, potentially restricting their focus and causing missed diagnoses.
Mr Place issued a prevention of future deaths report to the trust, Ms Dyson’s family, and the Care Quality Commission. Ben Hall, clinical director of diagnostic imaging at the trust, apologised, saying: “We missed a vital warning sign… This should not have happened.” He added that the trust had shared learnings with the radiology team to prevent recurrence.
