Payout over Lincolnshire woman's cancer misdiagnosis

Sam Burn said she had been given an apology but no explanation

A woman from Lincolnshire has been awarded more than £500,000 in damages from the NHS after her cervical cancer was misdiagnosed.

Sam Burn, 31, who lives near Bourne, was screened in 2001 but the disease was not picked up for three years.

Subsequent aggressive treatment left her infertile, needing a stick to walk and in constant pain.

Peterborough and Stamford Hospitals Trust said it regretted the errors and procedures had been reviewed.

Mrs Burn said her life had been badly affected by her experiences.

"I do feel angry. Sometimes I wish I could go face to face with them and say: 'Look what you have done to me'.

"But I have a little girl, a husband and a great family, so I have to try as best I can to get on with it."

'Rare' incident

She added: "I am on a lot of pain medication but sometimes it is so bad my husband has to lift me into the bath or into bed."

The family also said that while the trust had apologised, it had not explained what had gone wrong.

Under legal advice it has not revealed the exact amount of the settlement.

John Randall, medical director, said: "Peterborough and Stamford Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust can confirm that it has reached a settlement regarding the delayed diagnosis of Samantha Burn.

"The trust deeply regrets the errors in reporting Samantha's cervical smear test in 2001 and formally apologised to Samantha.

"A review of the reporting system was undertaken as soon as the errors were known and practices changed to prevent it happening again.

"The trust strongly encourages all women who are offered a cervical smear to have the test as incidences of incorrect diagnosis are rare."

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Sam Burn has been left unable to have children, disabled and in constant pain